MIGRAINES AND TIA

Clinical Features of Late-Life Migraine Versus TIAs

• Gradual appearance of focal neurologic symptoms with spread or worsening over a period of minutes
• Headache present in 50% of cases
• Positive visual symptoms, such as scintillating scotoma or flashing or bright lights
• Serial progression from one accompaniment to another (for example, from flashing lights to paresthesia, paresis, or dysphasia)
• Diagnosis facilitated with the occurrence of
• Duration of 15-25 minutes (as opposed to <15 minutes in 90% of headaches associated with TIA)
• Characteristic “flurry” of accompaniments
• Usually benign natural history without permanent sequelae
• No other cause revealed by diagnostic testing performed when indicated ≥2 identical episodes
  
• Fisher CM. Late-life migraine accompaniments-further experience.

Quoted;
Vol. 19 No. 11 ISSN 0264-6404 December 2001
21st Century Prevention and Management of Migraine Headaches
National Institutes of Health
Stroke. 986;17(5):