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Updated: May 7, 2026

Optimized Management of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke
Published on: January 18, 2018
Posterior circulation ischaemic stroke and transient ischaemic attack: diagnosis, investigation, and secondary
Hugh S Markus1, H Bart van der Worp, Peter M Rothwell
1Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Abstract:
A fifth of all strokes and transient ischaemic attacks occur in the posterior circulation arterial territory. Diagnosis can be challenging, in part because of substantial overlap in symptoms and signs with ischaemia in the anterior circulation. Improved methods of non-invasive imaging of the vertebrobasilar arterial tree have been used in recent prospective follow-up studies, which have shown a high risk of early recurrent stroke, particularly when there is associated vertebrobasilar stenosis. This finding emphasises the importance of urgent secondary prevention, and the role of stenting for vertebral stenosis is being investigated.
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