Stroke Flashcards
What 4 things are required in the description of a stroke?
- Type of stroke
- Size of stroke
- Laterality of stroke
- Cause of stroke
How are strokes classified?
Posterior circulation infarction (POCI)
Lacunar circulation infarct (LACI)
Total anterior circulation infarct (TACI)
Partial anterior circulation infarct (PACI)
Where are lacunar infarcts most likely to occur?
Basal Ganglia
or thalamus / white matter
What type of stroke causes the least number of deaths after 1 year?
Lacunar infarcts
LACI
What stroke has the worst outcome after 1 year?
Total anterior circulation infarcts (TACI)
What symptoms are seen in a TACI?
- Hemiplegia (At least 2 of face, arm and leg)
+/- hemisensory loss - Homonymous Hemianopia
- Cortical signs (dysphasia, neglect etc)
What symptoms indicate a partial anterior circulation stroke (PACI)?
2/3 features of TACI:
- Hemiplegia
- Homonomous hemianopia
- Focal Cortical sign (dysphagia etc)
motor/sensory symptoms not as severe as TACI
How do lacunar infarcts show symptoms?
Only occlude one deep penetrating vessel => symptoms usually affect 2 of: - face - arm - leg
What variety of symptoms can be caused by posterior circulation infarcts (POCI)?
- Cranial nerve palsies
- Bilateral motor and/or sensory deficits
- Eye movement disorders
- homonymous hemianopia
- Cortical blindness
- Cerebellar deficits => balance, ataxia
Why is laterality of stroke important?
If it occurs in the dominant hemisphere, speech and language can become affected
If occurs in non-dominant, then spatial awareness is affected
Where can clots originate to cause infarctions?
- atherothromboembolic (carotids/ larger vessels)
- cardioembolic (AF)
- Small vessel disease (clot forms in small vessel itself)
Describe the difference in appearance and treatment of clots which have formed in the carotids compared to cardioembolic clots.
Carotid/atherothromboembolic = white and platelet rich => Tx = antiplatelets
Cardioembolic = red and protein rich
=> Tx = anticoagulants
What investigations can be used to visualise atherothromboembolic disease in the carotid?
Ultrasound (doppler)
CT/MRI angiogram (often more visible)
What are the possible contributors to small vessel disease?
- Ateriosclerotic (Age/risk factor related)
- Genetic - related to cerebral amyloid angiopathy
- Inflammatory/ immunologically mediated (e.g. eosinophilic granulomatosis/ granulomatosis with polyangitis)
What signs on MRI indicate small vessel disease?
White matter hyperintensities
Previous lacunes
Microbleeds