Cryptogenic stroke: clinical consideration of a heterogeneous ischemic subtype.

Background: Cryptogenic stroke can be subdivided into 3 distinct categories: stroke of no determined cause (CyNC), stroke due to multiple etiologies (Cy >1), and stroke etiology unclear due to incomplete evaluation. Although these subdivisions may be very different from one another with respect to baseline features and outcomes, they are often reported as a composite group in clinical trials.

Methods: Patients treated at our academic institution between July 2008 and June 2013 for acute ischemic stroke were retrospectively assessed in our prospective registry.