Patients contacted the hospital either by an admission at the emergency department or were referred by their house physician at the outpatient TIA and stroke clinic. Patients with an ischemic event of more than six weeks ago were excluded for this study. All patients were followed up for three months. The protocol included a prompt start of an anti-thrombotic drug regime in every

patient (300 mg acetylsalicylic acid for 14 days in case of a minor stroke Selleck AG 14699 or an initial dose of 300 mg acetylsalicylic acid on day 1 followed by a prescription of 100 mg daily in TIA patients). All patients underwent laboratory examinations, ECG, duplex examination of the carotid and vertebral arteries and a CT and/or MR of the brain. If duplex revealed a stenosis of more than 50% or the TCD embolus detection revealed active cerebral embolism a CT angiography was performed from the aortic arc including the basal arteries of

the brain. Therapeutic drug interventions included the prescription of anti-thrombotic drug such as acetylsalicylic acid in combination with dipyridamole acid (in case of atrial fibrillation: anti-coagulants), statines and anti-hypertensive treatment. Patients used clopidogrel for six months; in case of persistent cerebral embolization (for instance after carotid surgery or when cerebral embolism was still present after the administration of acetylsalicylic acid) the drug this website regimes were switched to a combination of anti-thrombotic drugs that more effectively reduced the level of cerebral embolism. In case of a symptomatic carotid stenosis patients were asked to participate in the International Carotid Stenting Study (ICSS). The ICSS is an international multicenter trial which compares the efficacy of stenting versus surgery in the treatment of symptomatic carotid artery stenosis [5]. Patients scheduled for stent were treated with clopidogrel for at least six months,

after carotid surgery they received acetylsalicylic acid and dipyridamole acid. Patients scheduled for surgery and stenting were observed for two days at the stroke unit. Monitoring mafosfamide during stent procedure was done in awake patients by a neurologist. During carotid surgery the patients were exposed to general anesthesia and monitored by a clinical neurophysiologist. Monitoring techniques during surgery included both TCD and electro-encephalography. Based on monitoring results patients were electively shunted during the carotid endarterectomy. TCD monitoring was performed in all patients in the first hours after surgery and stenting procedures to detect persistent cerebral embolism or malignant cerebral hyperperfusion.