Cerebral ischemic attacks as a complication of heart disease: the value of echocardiography.

The association of heart disease and cerebral ischemic attacks, and the usefulness of echocardiography in detecting heart disease and possible embolic source, were studied in 194 patients with transitory cerebral ischemic attack or stroke. The study revealed 95 patients with heart disease, and 63 of them had positive echocardiographic findings. All together, 35 patients had heart disease as a probable source for systemic embolism. An undetected cardiac disorder, not found by clinical examination or electrocardiography, was detected in 25 patients. The cardiac disorder found by echocardiography only, was most frequently aortic and mitral valve disease. Thus, echocardiography is an useful tool in detecting heart disease in these patients.