Stroke Flashcards
What is the difference between stroke and epilepsy in type of symptoms?
- Stroke - negative symptoms
2. Epilepsy - positive symptoms
What is a stroke?
Sudden interruption in the vascular supply of the brain resulting in focal neurological deficits lasting over 24 hours.
What are the causes of an ischaemic stroke?
- Atherothromboembolism from internal carotid
- Cerebral microangiopathy
- Carotid artery dissection (younger)
- Thrombophilia
- Venous sinus thrombosis
What are the three different types of stroke?
- Ischaemic (85%) - block in blood flow
- Intraparenchymal haemorrhagic (15%) - burst small blood vessel, reduction in blood flow
- Venous stroke (1%)
What are the causes of an intraparenchymal haemorrhagic stroke?
- HTN
2. Coagulopathy
What is the difference between intraparenchymal haemorrhagic stroke and a subarachnoid haemorrhage?
- SAH is intracerebral
2. SAH involves berry aneurysm of large vessel, IHS involves a burst small blood vessel
How does a venous stroke present?
- Raised ICP
2. Focal neurology and seizures
Why are the optic tracts less affected in strokes than other cortical functions?
They are in white matter, so only a large stroke would affect them.
What is the underlying pathophysiology of a haemorrhagic stroke?
- Hyaline arteriosclerosis and microaneurysm formation
2. Cerebral amyloid angiopathy of the small leptomeningeal vessels
What are the risk factors for developing a stroke?
HTN (leading cause), age, smoking, alcohol, diabetes, IHD, AF, PVD, COCP, hyperlipidaemia, coagulopathies.
What are the differentials for a stroke?
Head injury, hypoglycaemia, tumour, migraine, encephalopathy, encephalitis, MS, syncope.
What are the signs seen in a stroke from a cerebral infarct?
- Contralateral sensory loss - hemiplegia
- Hemiparesis - initially flaccid
- Pyramidal weakness - upper limb extensor weakness, lower limb flexor weakness
- Spasticity
- Hyperreflexia
- Dysphasia
- Homonymous hemianopia
What are the signs seen in a stroke from a brainstem infarct?
- Varied - including quadriplegia
2. Vision disturbances
What are the signs seen in a stroke from a lacunar infarct?
- Pure motor, ataxic, pure sensory, or mixed sensorimotor hemiparesis
- Dysarthria/clumsy hand
- Cognition/consciousness intact except in thalamic strokes
What are the signs seen in a haemorrhagic stroke?
Meningism, headache, coma within hours.
Why are Broca and Wernicke areas on the left in most peoples brains?
Because most people are left brain dominant