Assessing Acute DWI Lesions in Clinically Diagnosed TIA: Insights from a Cohort Study in Cluj, Romania
Background: The updated definition of a TIA emphasizes tissue characteristics rather than symptom duration, defining a TIA as a transient neurological episode without ischemic lesions in brain imaging, including in DWI. If imaging reveals a lesion, even in patients with transient symptoms, the event...
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| author | Khaled Abu Arif Ioan Stefan Florian Alexandru Ioan Florian Alina Vasilica Blesneag Enola Maer Răzvan Mircea Cherecheș |
| author_facet | Khaled Abu Arif Ioan Stefan Florian Alexandru Ioan Florian Alina Vasilica Blesneag Enola Maer Răzvan Mircea Cherecheș |
| author_sort | Khaled Abu Arif |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: The updated definition of a TIA emphasizes tissue characteristics rather than symptom duration, defining a TIA as a transient neurological episode without ischemic lesions in brain imaging, including in DWI. If imaging reveals a lesion, even in patients with transient symptoms, the event is reclassified as a minor ischemic stroke. Objective: This retrospective observational study aimed to determine the prevalence of ischemic lesions in DWI in patients with a TIA diagnosis. Results: Adults aged 18–90 years, diagnosed with a TIA by a neurologist and who underwent MRI-DWI at CMT hospital within the first week after symptom onset (May 2023–July 2024), were included. Ethical approval was obtained. Descriptive statistics summarized patient demographics, clinical features, Fazekas scale grades, and imaging findings. Conclusions: Among the 26 patients clinically diagnosed with TIAs, 7 (26.9%) exhibited ischemic lesions in DWI, reclassifying these cases as minor ischemic strokes under the updated definition. The prevalence of ischemic lesions was notably higher in patients with comorbidities such as hypertension and diabetes. These findings highlight the importance of early MRI-DWI to accurately distinguish TIAs from minor ischemic strokes. Routine urgent DWI within the first week of TIA symptoms enhances diagnosis and risk stratification and can guide targeted stroke prevention strategies, particularly when combined with the ABCD2 score. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2085b091ca4a419982497ca09d55ed70 |
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| issn | 2379-1381 2379-139X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| spelling | doaj-art-2085b091ca4a419982497ca09d55ed702025-08-20T03:13:51ZengMDPI AGTomography2379-13812379-139X2025-03-011144010.3390/tomography11040040Assessing Acute DWI Lesions in Clinically Diagnosed TIA: Insights from a Cohort Study in Cluj, RomaniaKhaled Abu Arif0Ioan Stefan Florian1Alexandru Ioan Florian2Alina Vasilica Blesneag3Enola Maer4Răzvan Mircea Cherecheș5Centrul Medical Transilvania SRL, 400486 Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaCentrul Medical Transilvania SRL, 400486 Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaDepartment of Clinical Neurosciences, Iuliu Hatieganu, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400012 Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaCentrul Medical Transilvania SRL, 400486 Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaCentrul Medical Transilvania SRL, 400486 Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaDepartment of Public Health, Babeș-Bolyai University, 400084 Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaBackground: The updated definition of a TIA emphasizes tissue characteristics rather than symptom duration, defining a TIA as a transient neurological episode without ischemic lesions in brain imaging, including in DWI. If imaging reveals a lesion, even in patients with transient symptoms, the event is reclassified as a minor ischemic stroke. Objective: This retrospective observational study aimed to determine the prevalence of ischemic lesions in DWI in patients with a TIA diagnosis. Results: Adults aged 18–90 years, diagnosed with a TIA by a neurologist and who underwent MRI-DWI at CMT hospital within the first week after symptom onset (May 2023–July 2024), were included. Ethical approval was obtained. Descriptive statistics summarized patient demographics, clinical features, Fazekas scale grades, and imaging findings. Conclusions: Among the 26 patients clinically diagnosed with TIAs, 7 (26.9%) exhibited ischemic lesions in DWI, reclassifying these cases as minor ischemic strokes under the updated definition. The prevalence of ischemic lesions was notably higher in patients with comorbidities such as hypertension and diabetes. These findings highlight the importance of early MRI-DWI to accurately distinguish TIAs from minor ischemic strokes. Routine urgent DWI within the first week of TIA symptoms enhances diagnosis and risk stratification and can guide targeted stroke prevention strategies, particularly when combined with the ABCD2 score.https://www.mdpi.com/2379-139X/11/4/40transient ischemic attackdiffusion-weighted imagingischemic lesionstissue-based diagnosisstroke risk management |
| spellingShingle | Khaled Abu Arif Ioan Stefan Florian Alexandru Ioan Florian Alina Vasilica Blesneag Enola Maer Răzvan Mircea Cherecheș Assessing Acute DWI Lesions in Clinically Diagnosed TIA: Insights from a Cohort Study in Cluj, Romania Tomography transient ischemic attack diffusion-weighted imaging ischemic lesions tissue-based diagnosis stroke risk management |
| title | Assessing Acute DWI Lesions in Clinically Diagnosed TIA: Insights from a Cohort Study in Cluj, Romania |
| title_full | Assessing Acute DWI Lesions in Clinically Diagnosed TIA: Insights from a Cohort Study in Cluj, Romania |
| title_fullStr | Assessing Acute DWI Lesions in Clinically Diagnosed TIA: Insights from a Cohort Study in Cluj, Romania |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing Acute DWI Lesions in Clinically Diagnosed TIA: Insights from a Cohort Study in Cluj, Romania |
| title_short | Assessing Acute DWI Lesions in Clinically Diagnosed TIA: Insights from a Cohort Study in Cluj, Romania |
| title_sort | assessing acute dwi lesions in clinically diagnosed tia insights from a cohort study in cluj romania |
| topic | transient ischemic attack diffusion-weighted imaging ischemic lesions tissue-based diagnosis stroke risk management |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2379-139X/11/4/40 |
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