Cerebrovascular Diseases--Krafts Flashcards
Common cause of global cerebral ischemia?
most common cause is hypotension
What are the potential consequences to the brain of global cerebral ischemia?
Outcome depends on severity of hypotension
- Mild: transient confusion
- Severe: persistent vegetative state (patient’s brain is working, breathing, but have no cognition) or brain death (flat EEG, no heart rate, no reflexes, no Babinski, considered death).
hemorrhagic (red) infarcts
cause and morphologic appearance
A type of focal cerebral ischemia due to obstruction of blood flow.
Causes:
- Usually due to emboli + reperfusion
- often arise from heart
Morphological appearance:
- Punctate hemorrhages or big hematomas
- Eventual resolution and cavitation
ischemic (pale) infarcts
cause and morphologic appearance
A type of focal cerebral ischemia due to obstruction of blood flow.
Causes:
- Usually due to thrombi
- Often arise from atherosclerotic plaques
Morphology:
- First two days: white, wet, swollen
- 2-10 days: gelatinous, outlines of infarct visible
- 10-21 days: liquefaction and cavitation
Watershed infarcts
infarcts that occure that the junction between regions perfused by adjacent arteries
Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs)
a harbinger of stroke (both hemorrhagic (red) and ischemic (pale) infarcts)
Describe the brain findings that may be seen in patients with hypertension…
Lacunar Infarcts: Tiny, tissue loss with macrophages, gliosis
**Slit Hemorrhages: **rupture of little penetrating vessels
What are the clinical features and predisposing causes of intraparenchymal hemorrhage?
rupture of a small vessel within the tissue of the brain
Predisposing: hypertension, atherosclerosis, hyaline arteriolosclerosis
Clinical:
Charcot-Bouchard microaneurysms
tiny aneurysms
typically occure deep to the brain (Basal ganglia)
Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (SAH)
Rupture of berry aneurysm most common cause
Worst headach ever!!!
Loss of consciousness in minutes
4th most common cause of cerebrovascular disease
