Ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring in patients with transient focal cerebral ischaemia.

Sixty-four patients with transient ischaemic attacks were investigated for the presence of an associated cardiac arrhythmia. 24-hour ambulatory monitoring showed arrhythmia in 41% of patients where the standard ECG had shown arrhythmia in only 25%. Significant arrhythmias were found in 21% of patients with focal transient ischaemic attacks on prolonged monitoring as compared to 7% in a control group. Where arrhythmias were specifically treated there was abolition or improvement of neurological symptoms.