Stroke, Vol 7, 264-269, Copyright © 1976 by American Heart Association
Long-term EKG monitoring in patients with cerebrovascular insufficiency
LC McHenry Jr, JF Toole and HS Miller
Cardiac dysrhythmia may be responsible for signs of cerebrovascular
insufficiency in some patients. Ten patients with cerebrovascular
insufficiency were monitored for up to 24 hours with the Holter EKG
monitor. Eight of the patients had transient ischemic attacks and two had
mild deficits from a completed stroke. Eight of the ten patients had
associated abnormal cerebral angiography, the most frequent finding being
carotid stenosis. Holter EKG monitor in these ten patients showed no
abnormalities in four patients. The remaining six had a variety of cardiac
dysrhythmias. Although there were a variety of cardiac, cerebrovascular,
and neurological abnormalities in these ten patients, six of these patients
had a disturbance in cardiac rhythm or conduction which could have been
directly associated with or suggest an etiology for the patient's
neurological event.