How is a ministroke different from a regular stroke?

Answer From Jonathan Graff-Radford, M.D.

When people use the term "ministroke," they're referring to a transient ischemic attack (TIA).

A TIA is a brief blockage of blood flow to part of the brain, spinal cord or the thin layer of tissue at the back of the eye known as the retina. This blockage may cause temporary stroke-like symptoms. But a TIA doesn't damage brain cells or cause permanent disability. This is how it differs from a regular stroke.

A TIA is often an early warning sign that a person is at risk of stroke. About 1 in 3 people who has a TIA goes on to experience a stroke. The risk of stroke is especially high within 48 hours of a TIA.

The symptoms of a TIA are similar to those of a stroke and include:

  • Numbness or muscle weakness, usually on one side of the body.
  • Trouble speaking or understanding speech.
  • Dizziness or loss of balance.
  • Double vision or trouble seeing in one or both eyes.

Symptoms of TIA usually last only a few minutes. But they may persist for up to 24 hours. Since the symptoms of TIA and stroke are the same, it's important to seek medical attention.

You may have tests such as a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan or a computerized tomography (CT) scan. The tests can help determine what caused the TIA. You also may need tests to look for possible causes related to the heart or blood vessels. These tests may include heart rhythm monitoring, magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) or CT angiography (CTA).

Depending on the underlying cause, you may need medicine to prevent blood clots. Or you may need a procedure to remove fatty deposits, known as plaques, from the arteries that supply blood to your brain. This procedure is called a carotid endarterectomy.

With

Jonathan Graff-Radford, M.D.

From Mayo Clinic to your inbox

Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. Click here for an email preview.

To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail.

April 14, 2023 See more Expert Answers

See also

  1. Antiphospholipid syndrome
  2. Blood pressure test
  3. Carotid endarterectomy
  4. Carotid ultrasound
  5. Cholesterol test
  6. Coronary angioplasty and stents
  7. CREST Trial
  8. CT coronary angiogram
  9. CT scan
  10. Dizziness
  11. Echocardiogram
  12. Essential thrombocythemia
  13. High blood pressure dangers
  14. MRI
  15. Numbness
  16. Seeing inside the heart with MRI
  17. Symptom Checker
  18. Transient ischemic attack (TIA)
  19. Carotid angioplasty and stenting
  20. Coronary angioplasty
  21. MRI