Abstract: Objective To evaluate the localization and the correlation with cardiovascular risk factors of cerebral arteries damage in patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA). Methods Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) was performed in the 97 patients with TIA. The localization, the degree of stenosis, the numbers of the arteries involved and their correlation with the cardiovascular risk factors were analyzed. Results DSA showed occlusive findings of cerebral arteries in 91.8% of the patients, and 68 cases (76.4%) among them were involved more than one artery. The proximal internal carotid arteries (35.5%) and the proximal vertebral arteries (28.2%) were the most frequently involved in this series. And the number of the arteries involved and the degree of stenosis were positively correlated with the level of risk factors. Conclusion There is a high incidence of cerebrovascular stenosis in patients with TIA. Most of them are involved more than one artery. The degree of the stenosis is positively related with the quantity of the risk factors.

Key words: transient ischemic attack (TIA), digital subtraction angiography (DSA), risk factors