Carotid system transient ischemic attacks: clinical, racial, and angiographic correlations

The records and cerebral angiograms of 50 consecutive patients admitted to a large city hospital with a diagnosis of carotid system transient ischemic attacks were reviewed in an effort to determine the prevalence of demonstrable carotid artery disease in this population. Of these, 21 had a demonstrable abnormality in the extracranial carotid artery appropriate to their symptoms. Of the 29 with no abnormality in the extracranial portion of the appropriate carotid artery, 21 had a totally normal arteriogram, and 8 showed abnormality either in the non-appropriate carotid or in the intracranial portion of the appropriate carotid artery. Chi-square analysis of the angiographic data and various clinical factors was carried out. Of the 29 patients with no abnormality in the appropriate artery, 18 were black and 11 were white. Of the 21 patients with an abnormal appropriate artery, 7 were black and 14 were white (p less than 0.05). No other clinical factor correlated with high rate of angiographic abnormality.