Transient ischemic attacks not produced by extracranial vascular disease: a plea for complete and early angiographic investigation.

Six patients with classical transient ischemic attacks that were not directly related to extracranial carotid disease are presented. These cases were selected to include a variety of pathologic conditions: one case each of brain tumor, arteriovenous malformation, chronic subdural hematoma, cervical spondylosis, and two cases of giant intracranial aneurysms. These case histories are significant because they illustrate that without complete angiographic investigation, tragic results could have and did occur in some cases. Transient ischemic attacks should be considered as a symptom of various possible pathologic conditions, and a careful search for the cause must be pursued aggressively.