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Having established what symptoms you have the doctor will examine
your heart and nervous system and then arrange some tests including:

Blood tests
These check that your blood is not too thick or thin, that there is no underlying diabetes and that your cholesterol level is not too high.

Electrocardiogram
The doctor will do this test to check that your heart is in a normal rhythm, that you have not had a recent heart attack and that there are no signs of high blood pressure.

Echocardiogram
If the doctor suspects that there is a problem with your heart, such as an abnormal rhythm or heart murmur, an echocardiogram may be useful to take detailed pictures of your heart. This test uses sound waves to show the heart and involves having a probe passed over the chest with some jelly to ensure a good contact with your skin.

In some cases a probe may need to be swallowed to look at the back of the heart. This is known as a transoesophogeal echocardiogram (TOE). This usually done under sedation, so it is not as unpleasant as it sounds.

CT brain scan
This is a special x-ray which enables the doctor to see any damaged area in your brain. It is particularly useful for distinguishing strokes due to a blocked or burst blood vessel. In people with mild strokes due to blocked blood vessels the CT brain scan may not show up any abnormality. The test involves lying still on a couch while the scanner passes over your head. It does not usually involve any needles or injections and takes only a few minutes. Further information on CT scans can be found in CT scan – a guide for patients and carers, published by the Brain and Spine Foundation.

MRI brain scan
In some hospitals the doctor may do an MRI scan instead of or as well as a CT scan. The MRI scan uses magnetism to look at the brain. It provides very detailed pictures of the brain and is particularly useful for looking at the back part of the brain. It can also be used to take pictures of the arteries in the neck and brain.You lie on a couch which travels into the scanner, which is shaped like a tube. Some people find it rather noisy and claustrophobic. Further information on MRI scans can be found in MRI scan – a guide for patients and carers, published by the Brain and Spine Foundation.

Carotid ultrasound (also called a Doppler or Duplex scan)
This allows the doctor to detect any narrowing of the arteries in your neck which take blood to the eyes and brain. This can be useful to decide the best way of reducing the risk of future strokes. Carotid ultrasound uses sound waves and involves having a probe pressed onto your neck with some jelly to ensure a good contact with your skin.

Angiogram
This is sometimes used to confirm any narrowing of the arteries in the neck or brain. After a local anaesthetic, a fine plastic tube is passed through an artery in the groin up into the arteries which carry blood to the brain. A special dye is injected into the blood vessels and x-rays are taken. Further information on angiograms can be found in Angiogram – a guide for patients and carers, published by the Brain and Spine Foundation.