Rory, you seem to be knowledgeable (and I'm very grateful indeed for the time that you and others put-in to replying) but I'm surprised that you say this was a TIA. The doc called it a "small stroke" and from what I can find it is also called a Lacunar stroke ... in my case a little knowledge is a dangerous thing so I would be grateful if you could explain a little more, or give an authoritative link for further research.
A TIA is essentially a tiny stroke that typically does no permanent damage and often leaves no detectable trace beyond the patient history. If your doctor talked about a "small stroke," it sounds like something that left evidence of its passing behind (which I believe you've already mentioned), and that is what distinguishes it (in part) from a TIA.
Lacunar refers mainly to the location of the stroke. I don't think it is applied to TIAs, since lacunar strokes involve a significant obstruction of blood flow, whereas TIAs are tiny and temporary.