TIA Program
The Stanford TIA Program evaluates patients who are suspected to have an acute TIA (<48 hrs) in a specialized hospital-like observation room, adjacent to the Emergency Department, which is available 24/7. Within 12 hours of arrival, TIA patients undergo multimodal brain MRI, as well as neck and brain MR angiography, a consult from a Stanford Stroke Neurologist, cardiac monitoring, and laboratory testing. Based on the results of this evaluation, the patient will either be discharged home with prescriptions for stroke prevention therapies and a plan for follow-up, or be admitted to the hospital. For the patients experiencing a subacute TIA (more than 48 hours), the Stanford TIA Clinic will typically coordinate the necessary testing and complete a clinical evaluation within 3 business days. All patients receive phone follow-up at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and 1 year for close monitoring and improved health outcomes.
The Stanford TIA Program’s approach is to rapidly assess patients and incorporate the latest research findings to establish the etiology of the symptoms and optimize long-term prevention of stroke. Diffusion- and perfusion weighted brain imaging as well as cervical and intracranial vessel imaging are the foundation of the diagnostic evaluation. The Stanford TIA Clinic has been conducting original research as well as partnering with other stroke centers on collaborative research projects.5-9 A recent study of 223 consecutive patients referred to the Stanford Emergency Department with a suspected TIA demonstrated the efficacy of the Stanford approach; the 90 day stroke rates were <1% which is considerably lower than expected.
The Stanford TIA Clinic is directed by Drs. GW Albers and JM Olivot and coordinated by Nurse Practitioner A. Ogdie. Additional TIA clinic physicians are Drs. Maarten Lansberg, Neil Schwartz and Paul Singh.
