This increase in "redundant" imaging is primarily associated with brain exams, particularly CT, wrote a team led by Dr. Vincent Timpone of the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora.
"Redundant imaging in TIA is rising," the team wrote. "Most notable is the rate of redundant brain imaging, which is seen in almost one-third of all TIA encounters and occurs 10-fold more often than redundant neurovascular imaging."
TIA used to be grouped along with stroke when it came to imaging, but over the past number of years, professional medical organizations have released TIA-specific recommendations, and compliance with these guidelines has boosted imaging use. But whether some imaging for TIA workup is redundant has not been fully explored, according to the researchers.