Research

Transient ischemic attack (TIA) precedes 15 % ofstroke cases and represents a special opportunityfor preventive intervention. Despite published rec-ommendations,1–5 management of TIA in clinical practice is variable and often suboptimal.6–9 According to Goldstein and colleagues,10 one-third of patients presenting to a pri-mary care office with a first-ever TIA or minor stroke did not receive diagnostic investigations or hospitalization within 1 month. Patients and physicians may underestimate the serious nature of TIA or the need for prompt evalua-tion and treatment.7,9,11 We studied a consecutive series of patients with an emergency department diagnosis of TIA at 4 regional cen-tres participating in the Ontario Stroke Registry. Through links with provincial administrative databases, we evaluated the short-term outcomes after TIA as well as the patterns of practice and resource use in the management of TIA