Diagnosis and treatment of ischemic stroke

Article Abstract:

The term 'stroke' refers to a group of different disorders involving the blood supply to the brain. Strokes may be hemorrhagic (the result of bleeding within the skull) or ischemic (the result of inadequate blood supply to the brain). Ischemic strokes can be caused by systemic hypoperfusion (inadequate blood perfusion throughout the body); embolism (blockage of a blood vessel in the brain by a clot formed elsewhere in the body); or thrombosis (locally formed clot blocking a brain blood vessel). About 80 percent of stroke patients suffer ischemic strokes. Patients with systemic hypoperfusion may arrive at the hospital awake with symptoms of near syncope (visual and auditory dimming, lightheadedness, and difficultly thinking), or they may be unconscious. The most common causes of systemic hypoperfusion are abnormal heart rhythms or heart attack. Thrombosis and embolism cause more localized neurological findings. Patients with strokes from embolisms have headaches during or after the onset of stroke, whereas patients with thrombosis of a larger artery may also have headaches before the stroke. Usually an embolism requires both vascular and heart evaluation. The signs and symptoms fluctuate due to passage of the clot and development of alternate routes of circulation. Patients with thromboembolic stroke suffer from one or more of a variety of circulation disorders, and each requires a slightly different diagnostic approach. Noninvasive testing can identify vascular abnormalities; clinical examination, neurologic imaging, and brain mapping provide information on brain functioning. Knowing the vascular abnormality, and the functional status of the brain helps the physician select the best treatment. Occlusion of a large artery thromboembolism may be treated with heparin; severe stenosis (narrowing of the vessel) may require endarterectomy or warfarin therapy, or anti-platelet drugs such as aspirin for milder stenosis. Embolism may require warfarin, heparin, or antiplatelets. Overall, treatment should include preventive therapy (such as reducing risk factors); short-term treatment for the specific cause of the patient's stroke; and rehabilitation. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Diagnosis, Cerebral embolism and thrombosis, Cerebral embolism, Cerebral thrombosis

---

Multiple Potential Risks for Stroke

Article Abstract:

All patients who have had some form of ischemia should have a thorough evaluation of their entire cardiovascular system. Ischemia occurs when the blood supply to part of the body is cut off. It is usually caused by atherosclerosis, an arterial disease. Arteries in many parts of the body are often affected. Studies have shown that patients with coronary artery disease often have peripheral arterial disease and carotid artery disease. Any one of these conditions could cause a stroke. In one study, 40% of the strokes were not caused by carotid artery disease.

Causes of

---

Stroke treatment: promising but still struggling

Article Abstract:

More research is needed to determine exactly which stroke patients will benefit from specific treatments. The treatment of stroke has been revolutionized by brain imaging techniques such as CT and MRI and by the use of drugs called thrombolytics that can break up the blood clots that cause most strokes. However, these drugs can also cause bleeding and not all stroke patients will benefit. Studies have already shown that post-operative mortality rates among patients treated surgically are lower at hospitals that do many such procedures.

Evaluation, Thrombolytic therapy

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Pilonidal sinus: treatments for the painful and potentially embarrassing condition pilonidal sinus are improving
• Abstracts: Diet during pregnancy in a population of pregnant women in South West England. Multivariate analysis of diet among three-year-old children and associations with socio-demographic characteristics
• Abstracts: Behind the smokescreen. A welcome in the hillsides. We happy few
• Abstracts: Ultrasound-guided laser treatment for fetal bladder outlet obstruction resulting from ureterocele. Gestational diabetes mellitus diagnosed during early pregnancy
• Abstracts: Term neonatal asphyxial seizures and peripartum deaths lack of correlation with a rising cesarean delivery rate

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.