Abstract
A short neuropsychological test battery designed to measure language, memory and visuospatial abilities was administered to 217 patients with reversible ischemic attacks. Patients were tested twice: the first time more than one month, but less than one year, from the last ischemic episode, and the second time three years later. A comparison between the first and the second testing session did not disclose any significant worsening. The degree of atherosclerosis and the occurence of further ischemic episodes during the follow-up period were found to be unrelated to change in performance at the test battery. These results seems to challenge the hypothesis that multi-infarct dementia may follow apparently reversible, or even clinically silent, ischemic episodes.
Sommario
Una breve batteria di test neuropsicologici finalizzata alla valutazione del linguaggio, della memoria e delle abilità visuo-spaziali è stata somministrata ad un gruppo di 217 pazienti con ischemia cerebrale reversibile. Ciascun paziente è stato esaminato due volte: in una prima occasione a più di un mese, ma a meno di unano di distanza dall'ultimo episodio ischemico; la seconda volta dopo tre anni. Il paragone fra il primo e il secondo esame non ha rivelato un significativo peggioramento. Il grado di arteriosclerosi e il ripetersi di episodi ischemici nell'intervallo fra i due esami non sono risultati in relazione con la variazione delle prestazioni ai test neuropsicologici. Questi risultati sembrano smentire l'ipotesi che la demenza multi-infartuale possa essere una conseguenza di episodi di ischemia cerebrale apparentemente reversibili o clinicamente silenti.
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Nichelli, P., Bonito, V., Candelise, L. et al. Three-year neuropsychological follow-up of patients with reversible ischemic attacks. Ital J Neuro Sci 7, 443–446 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02283023
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02283023