Acute Ischemic Stroke Flashcards
what race has higher risk for death from stroke?
blacks have nearly twice the risk and much higher death rate from stroke
what is more common, ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke
ischemic: 84% hemorrhagic 16%
sub classification of ischemic stroke?
thrombotic 53% embolic 31%
sub classification of hemorrhagic stroke?
ICH - intra cranial hemorrhage 10% SAH - sub arachnoid hemorrhage 6%
what’s the difference between embolic & thrombotic stroke?
embolic: comes from elsewhere besides the brain. thrombotic: place rupture inside the brain
what is the definition of a stroke?
-sudden onset of neurologic deficit caused by cerebrovascular etiology -if it lasts longer than 24 hours its ALWAYS a stroke -if it lasts < 24 hours WITH permanent tissue damage its a stroke
what’s the definition of TIA (transient ischemic attack)
-sudden onset of focal neurologic deficit caused by cerebrovascular etiology -no permanent tissue damage -lasting < 24 hours without permanent tissue damage -symptoms must be gone within 24 hours -most TIA last < 1 hour (typically <10-20 minutes) -symptoms disappear without interventions
what is the penumbra?
-tissue around a stroke core that has decreased blood flow, but remains salvageable -explains much of the early improvement in neurological function after stroke -major principle directing much of our interventions
risk factors for stroke?
-sex: F>M -age -race/ethnicity: AA doubles risk than other ethnicities -low birth weight -genetics - hyper coagulable Modifiable -HTN -smoking -diabetes types 1 & 2 (controlled & not controlled) -dyslipidemia -carotid stenosis -cardiac disease -atrial fibrillation -sickle cell disease
less well documented modifiable risk factors for stroke
-etoh abuse: intracranial hemorrhage, hyper/hypo tensive -drug abuse -birth control - hyper coagulable -migraines -hyperhomocysteinemia - hypercoagulable -elevated lipoprotein -hypercoagulability -inflammation -infection
what’s the difference between posterior and anterior circulation?
Proximal occlusions: 1 & 2, if it’s past M2, A2 then they are distal occlusion, smaller more tortuous vasculature-difficult to access 2 or lower is proximal occlusion generally can’t get to with endoscopic procedure
what is the neurophysiology of occlusion?
ischemia: decreased blood flow due to blockage-> neurons are deprived of oxygen and glucose
what is the ischemic cascade?
unleashed within seconds to minutes of the loss of perfusion to a portion of the brain resulting in edema and cell death
cause of a thrombotic stroke?
Cause: platelet aggregation/vessel occlusion
onset time of thrombotic stroke?
during sleep when BP is lowest
risk factors for thrombotic stroke?
large vessel disease and atherosclerosis -dissection (trauma) -arteritis - inflammatory process -small vessel disease -chronic HTN
thrombotic stroke mechanisms
-most common cause of stroke -atherosclerosis -thrombus occludes the vessel -plaque occludes longitudinally -impedes flow due to stenosis
what are causes of embolic strokes?
fragments formed outside the brain break off and travel to a vessel in the brain. -typically from the heart, a-fib/valvular disease (collecting thrombus on valve)
onset of embolic stroke?
abrupt, may occur during exercise.
embolic stroke mechanisms
-atrial fibrillation -mitral stenosis -PFO (thrombus can collect in the shunt between R& L atrium) -prosthetic cardiac valve (not appropriately anti-coagulated) -left atrial of ventricular thrombus -endocarditis (septic emboli, infective and non-infective) -atrial myxoma (atrial mass that comes out of the atrial septum causing blood to pool in the LV/LA)
physical exam findings of issues with anterior circulation, anterior cerebral artery
-it’s the front of the head -medial aspects of motor and sensory strips (contralateral weakness) -altered mental status (frontal lobe) -impaired judgement (frontal lobe) -contralateral lower extremity weakness and hypoesthesia -gait apraxis (difficulty with motor planning)
physical exam findings with anterior circulation, middle cerebral artery?
-generally language deficit -lateral cortex of each hemisphere (language, motor, sensory) -contralateral hemiparesis (arm and face is usually worse than that of the lower limb) -contralateral hypoestheisa -contralateral homonymous hemianopsia -gaze preference toward the side of the lesion -agnosia is common (inability to recognize objects or people) -receptive or expressive aphasia
physical exam findings with posterior circulation, posterior cerebral artery
-impaired short term > long term memory -cortex (undersurface of temporal, parietooccipital, brainstem, cerebellum, thalamus) -visual deficits: homonymous hemianopsia, cortical blindness, visual agnosia -altered mental status -impaired memory -dizziness -limb weakness -nausea (since N/V centers are in the cerebellum) -language dysfunction
physical exam findings with posterior circulation, vertebrobasilar system
-medulla, cerebellum, pons, midbrain, thalamus and occipital cortex -wide variety of cranial nerve, cerebellar and brainstem deficits -vertigo, nystagmus, diplopia, visual field deficits, dysphagia, dysarthria, syncope and ataxia -variety of neurologic syndromes (locked in - basilar artery occlusion) -in contrast to hemispheric lesions, cortical deficits such as aphasia and cognitive impairments are absent.