© 2004 Canadian Medical Association or its licensors Review

Mr. P, a 76-year-old man, presents to the emergency depart-ment after experiencing the sudden onset of slurred speech as-sociated with tingling and clumsiness of his right hand. The symptoms lasted about 30 minutes and have completely re-solved. His examination is now unremarkable. He has a history of hypertension (controlled on medication) and dyslipidemia. What is the appropriate management of this patient? Atransient ischemic attack (TIA) is a syndrome char-acterized by the sudden onset of discrete neurologi-cal symptoms that resolve completely within 24 hours. TIA frequently precedes ischemic stroke, particu-larly in the territory of the carotid arteries. In developed countries, TIA may be reported by 0.5%–8 % of the elderly population.1 Precise estimates of the incidence of TIA in the community are lacking, in part because patients may be unaware of the importance of classic symptoms of cerebral ischemia and thus fail to seek medical attention.2 Further