Cardiac CT as effective as TEE in predicting recurrent strokes

Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is the imaging modality of choice in the detection of source of emboli in patients with ischemic stroke.  Cardiac CT is just as effective at predicting recurrent strokes, according to a study published in Radiology.

Lee et al analyzed the studies of 548 consecutive patients, 374 of whom had ischemic stroke (254 men and 120 women, with a mean age of 63.1 years) who underwent TEE and cardiac CT. TEE and cardiac CT images were assessed for cardioembolic sources, including thrombus, tumor, spontaneous echo contrast, valvular vegetation, atrial septal aneurysm, patent foramen ovale, and aortic plaque. The primary end point was stroke recurrence.

Twenty-eight of the patients had stroke recurrence in the two-year period following their initial strokes. The researchers analyzed the information from their scans and found that complex aortic plaque was associated with increased risk of recurrence.  

Cardiac CT was equally as effective as TEE as a predictive tool for recurrent strokes.