Guidelines for management of patients with transient ischemic attack.

A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a medical emergency that is associated with a high risk of early ischemic stroke and other vascular events. Several evidence-based guidelines have been published to provide recommendations for the evaluation and treatment of patients with TIA. These guidelines underline the need for the urgent referral of patients with TIA so that they can access expert evaluation and immediate treatment. The distinction between TIA and ischemic stroke has recently become less important because these two conditions share pathophysiological mechanisms and many of the preventive approaches are applicable to both. Therefore, current guidelines are often described without a distinction between TIA and ischemic stroke. However, the applicability of recommendations for applying treatment for ischemic stroke to TIA has not been proven. Further studies are required to determine the effects of urgent intervention or treatment early after TIA.