Stroke Flashcards
Define stroke
‘Cerebrovascular accident’ represents a sudden onset of focal neurological deficit attributed to a vascular cause
Due to infarction of brain tissue due to blockage of blood supply or bleed within the brain
Define TIA
a sudden onset of focal neurological deficit attributed to a vascular cause WITHOUT an infarction of brain tissue = TIA
Temporary blockage in a cerebral vessel - usually resolves within 24 hours
Ischaemic stroke vs haemorrhagic stroke
Embolus/ thrombus - prevents blood from getting to brain tissue - resulting in cell death and infarction - ischaemic
Bleed - reduced blood supply to brain and compression of structures - haemorrhagic
Risk factors for ischaemic stroke - list 7
Diabetes Mellitus Previous TIA/stroke Smoking Thrombophilia Atrial Fibrillation Carotid Artery Stenosis Hypercholesterolemia
Risk factors for haemorrhagic stroke - list 3
Severe, uncontrolled hypertension (>140/90)
AV malformation
Anticoagulation therapy - warfarin (vitamin K antagonist), heparins (enoxaparin, dalteparin), direct thrombin inhibitor (dabigatron) or DOACs (factor Xa inhibitors) such as rivaroxaban and apixaban
Infarcts affecting the frontal lobe may result in what changes?
Personality, mood, speech, behaviour, potentially broca’s aphasia, MOTOR (pre frontal gyrus) contra lateral side
Infarcts affecting the temporal lobe may result in what changes?
Sense of smell, hearing loss, memory loss, agnosia and wernicke’s aphasia (speak, but doesn’t make sense)
Infarcts affecting the parietal lobe may result in what changes?
Sensory loss, visuospatial function, maths, speech and language - may present with contralateral hemispacial neglect
Infarcts affecting the occipital lobe may result in what changes?
Visual field defects (usually a contralateral hemianopia) as primary visual cortex is in the occipital lobe
There will be macular sparing due to collateral blood supply of the macula
… cerebral - motor deficits and sensory deficit in contralateral lower limb and genitals
Anterior cerebral - motor deficits and sensory deficit in contralateral lower limb and genitals
DANISH acronym - cerebellar artery
Dysdiadochokinesia Ataxia Nystagmus Intention tremor Slurred speech Hypotonia
Anterior, middle and posterior cerebral arteries come off from the circle of Willis to supply the brain - they originate from … … artery
Anterior, middle and posterior cerebral arteries come off from the circle of Willis to supply the brain - they originate from internal carotid
… cerebral - motor deficits and sensory in contralateral face and upper limb, homonymous hemianopia due to the optic tract being affected and speech difficulties as brocas and wernickes are in this territory
Middle cerebral - motor deficits and sensory in contralateral face and upper limb, homonymous hemianopia due to the optic tract being affected and speech difficulties as brocas and wernickes are in this territory
… cerebral - homonymous hemianopia with macula sparing and visual agnosia
… artery = can result in DANISH
Posterior cerebral - homonymous hemianopia with macula sparing and visual agnosia
Cerebellar artery = can result in DANISH
BAMFORD/OXFORD stroke classification
Define TACS
All 3 of shown
PACS is … of the TACS criteria
Any 2/3 of the TACS criteria (as shown)
LACS - may present with…
Pure motor symptoms
Pure sensory
Mixed sensori-motor
Ataxia
POCS stroke
Cerebellar dysfunction (DANISH)
Bilateral motor/sensory deficit
LOC
Or homonymous hemianopia
History and exam for stroke
When did it start? Within 6 hours - may be a candidate for thrombectomy
Stroke or stroke mimic such as DKA or migraine with aura, sepsis or space-occupying lesion - determine using NIHSS
Neuro exam - cranial and peripheral
CVS exam - AF, BP, cardiac murmur, carotid bruits
CT head without contrast - no signs = likely TIA
ECG, Echo, bloods, Doppler ultrasound of carotid artery
Management of a TIA
TIA clinic - one stop clinic (OBS, bloods, ECG, Doppler U/S of carotid and MRI brain to look for small infarcts)
Educate patient and carer - stroke association information (Driving info, and other risk factors as shown)
TIA - managing risk factors
TIA - what should be given immediately and continued for about two weeks? Then switch to …
300mg aspirin
Switch to clopidogrel - lifelong
Over 50% obliteration of lumen, vascular surgeons for carotid endarterectomy
Diagnosis of stroke - what to do first?
Secure airway
Provide oxygen
CT confirmation to determine ischaemic or haemorrhagic
Ischaemic stroke management
Ischaemic stroke - 300mg aspirin PO/PR - long term change to anticoagulation
Thrombolysis if <4.5hour since symptom onset, thrombectomy if <6hour since symptom onset
Physio and OT/ SALT teams
Haemorrhagic stroke management
Stop anticoagulation
Call neurosurgeons to refer
Control BP
MDT approach to help - inc PT/OT/SALT
Summary of ischaemic vs haemorrhagic stroke
TIA vs stroke overview
A stroke is a cerebrovascular event that is caused by abnormal … of cerebral tissue.
A stroke is a cerebrovascular event that is caused by abnormal perfusion of cerebral tissue.
Stroke is a common medical emergency that requires urgent recognition and treatment. The total number of strokes each year is estimated at 110,000 and the mortality from a first-ever stroke is 11%. Strokes can broadly be categorised as:
Ischaemic: caused by occlusion of blood vessels, most common accounting for 85% of cases.
Haemorrhagic: result from bleeding, accounts for 15% of cases.
Ischaemic stroke
Ischaemic strokes are due to occlusion of blood vessels that supply the brain parenchyma leading to infarction (tissue necrosis secondary to ischaemia). Ischaemic strokes are common accounting for 85% of all strokes.
Ischaemic strokes are sub-classified according to the Bamford/Oxford classification (discussed below).
Haemorrhagic strokes
Haemorrhagic strokes are the result of bleeding within the brain parenchyma, ventricular system or subarachnoid space. Haemorrhagic strokes account for approximately 15% of all strokes.
They are further divided into an intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) or subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). Due to the different presentation and management, SAH is usually discussed separately.
Ischaemia
Ischaemic strokes are the result of occlusion to cerebral vessels. This can be the result of a thrombus (atheromatous plaque) within a vessel, embolus (blood clot) arising from a distant site, or rarely, dissection.
Thrombosis: local blockage of a vessel due to atherosclerosis. Precipitated by cardiovascular risk factors (e.g. hypertension, smoking) or small vessel disease (e.g. vasculitis, sickle cell).
Emboli: propagation of a blood clot that leads to acute obstruction and ischaemia. Typically due to atrial fibrillation or carotid artery disease.
Dissection: a rare cause of cerebral ischaemia from tearing of the intimal layer of an artery (typically carotid). This leads to an intramural haematoma that compromises cerebral blood flow. May be spontaneous or secondary to trauma.