Heart Related Causes for TIA's

[Pat Hall]

I am 47 years old. In 1995 I experienced a TIA with a 15 minute loss of sight in one eye.  At the time of the episode, they ran a carotid doppler series and I was told that there was a minimal amount of plaque (not enough to cause the TIA).  Recently I have started experiencing frequent PVC's. I wore a Holter monitor, had an echo cardiogram and a stress thallium.  I was told that the Holter showed a number of different arrhythmias (PVC's tachycardia, first degree block), the echo showed calcification around the aortic valve and minimal leakage from the tricuspid and mitral valves and the thallium test showed soft tissue attenuation (conclusive?).  My question is could there have been a cardiac related reason for the TIA and are these tests generally accurate?  I am still experiencing the PVC's and  brief episodes of dizziness.

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

Unlikely.  If the Holter had showed afib then it almost certainly would have been due to a blood clot from the heart but PVCs and first degree block will not cause this.

[ed]

The TIA which first sent me to my doctor resulted in discovery of severe mitral valve regurgitation (and ultimately, thanks to this forum, a resolve to come to CCF for surgery).  Like Pat's, my TIA also lasted about 15 minutes, but affected both eyes equally, though not with a complete loss of vision; just a wavy distortion.  It cleared up just as quickly as it started.

Because I saw the same pattern with either or both eyes, it seems logical to rule out my carotid arteries as the source, even though I do have moderate stenosis on both sides.  If my logic is correct, would my mitral valve not be the likely suspect?  I've experienced occasional dizziness and frequent PVCs, but no other arrhythmias.

[QUESTION's ABOUT TIA'S, Gina]

I am 31 years of age and had a mitral valve replacement in March of this year. I have, since surgery on and off had vision disturbances. I am always concerned about the fact of a stroke. I have had blured vison and migrane type symptoms. Could those symptoms alone indicate TIA's? I am montiored 1-2 times a week for my Coumadin. They can't get me regulated. I watch my diet and I am very complient. I am worried that one of these times my pt drops off that I will have a stroke.
Your comments would be greatly appreciated
Thank you
Gina

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

It is probably not TIAs but your doctor may want to order an MRI to be sure.  Keep working with your doctor on regulating your coumadin.  There are other postings on this site concerning coumadin that you may find useful.