202 - Stroke Flashcards
What are the two types of stoke and how common is each?
Ischaemic (85%) - embolic (lodging of a blood clot fat or gas in blood stream) and ‘in situ thrombotic (forming of a blood clot in place)
Haemorrhagic (15%) - burst blood vessel
Define a stroke
A neurological deficit related to a non traumatic vascular event
Define a Transient Ischaemic Attack
A neurovascular event with symptoms lasting less than 24 hours
what are the cardinal features of strokes?
- Focal - particular location
- Negative clinical phenomena - no added signs like twitching
- Relate to arterial anatomy (i.e. not veins)
- Sudden onset
- Px has identifiable vascular risk factors - poor diet, smoking, no exercise
What are the risk factors for embolic strokes?
- Atheromatous disease - smoking, family Hx, diabetes, hypertension
- Cardiac causes - AF, endocarditis, shunts, cardiomyopathy
- Low cardiac output states
What are the risk factors for ‘In Situ’ thrombotic strokes?
- Atheromatous Disease
- Hyperviscosity -excess RBCs
- Vasculitis
- Thrombophilic states - F5 leiden (blood clotting disorder), pregnancy, oral contraceptive pill
- Incr. alcohol intake
What are the risk factors for Haemorrhagic strokes?
- Hypertension
- on anti coagulation drugs
- on thrombolysis drugs
What are the risk factors for venous strokes?
- Dehydration
- Infection
- Heart Failure
- Thrombophilic states - CA, pregnancy, OCP
Describe a Primary Intracranial haemorrhage (PICH)
- Hyper acute and sometimes LOC & headache due to incr. in Intracranial pressure (cushing’s reflex)
- A ruptured vessel in R hemisphere would cause L hemiparesis
Describe a Sub Arachnoid Haemorrhage (SAH)
- Hyper acute & meningism (neck stiffness) & LOC
- Extra-cerebral anuerysm
- Thunderclap headache
Describe Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis (CVST)
- DVT of the brain
- Sub acute / evolving - back pressure in the veins
- Secondary bleeding, incr. in ICP
- Don’t respect arterial territories
- Affects young people, women on OCP
Describe Brainstem and spinal strokes
- Ataxia, diplopia (double vision), dysarthria, lower CNS hemiparesis
- Ipsilateral on face and contralateral on arms and legs
What does optic disc selling indicate?
Incr. BP caused over a long time - therefore not a stroke
Describe the autoregulation of cerebral blood flow.
CBF is maintained at the same rate over a range of blood pressures (50-170 mmHg) by variation in arteriolar control
How does chronic hypertension affect affect autoregulation of CBF?
The range is reset to a higher level. If BP too low arteriolar system no longer compensates and Px blacks out (CBF inadequate for metabollic demands, impaired cellular metabolism & decr. neuronal activity). If BP too high leads to cerebral oedema, hypertensive encephalopathy and hyperaemia.