stroke - clinical aspects Flashcards
What happens every 2 seconds?
Someone in the world will have stroke
One every 5 minutes in the UK alone
What is stroke?
A major cause of disability in survivors
The commonest neurological problem in the UK
A clinical syndrome, not a full diagnosis
What are over 50% of all stroke survivors?
Dependent
What is the largest cause of complex disability in adult?
Stroke
What are the approximate percentages after stroke?
- 14% have moderate disability
- 10% have severe disability
- 12% have very severe disability
What is stroke becoming?
More common
Ageing population
What is the cost to economy/year for stroke?
~ £7 billion
What is the definition of stroke?
Acute focal neurological deficit resulting from vascular disease lasting over 24 hours
What is Transient Ischaemic attack (TIA)?
Acute focal neurological deficit resulting from vascular disease lasting less than 24 hours
What is definition of brain attack?
Acute focal neurological deficit likely to be the result of vascular disease
What will not all brain attacks turn out to be?
- Stroke
2. TIA
What is the outdated term for stroke?
Cerebrovascular accident (CVA)
What are the symptoms suggestive of stroke?
- Sudden (maximal at onset or within seconds to minutes)
- Focal, not generalised (collapse and LOC, ‘‘dizziness’’ are not suggestive of stroke)
- Negative symptoms (loss of function)
- Presence of vascular risk factors: age, hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol, other vascular disease, family history
positive symptom: hearing problems, visual domain: migraine with aura, tremor, jerking
What are the red flags of stroke?
- No clear onset history
- No risk factors
- No imaging abnormality
- Young age
- Seizures
- Unusual headache
What are the 3 questions that a neurologist needs to know to make a full diagnosis?
- Where is the lesion? anatomy
- What is the pathology? pathology
- Why has it happened? mechanism/risk factors
What is the value of a full stroke diagnosis?
- Explanation to patient and carer
- Guides further investigation (e.g. carotid vs vertebrobasilar circulation)
- Prevention of recurrence
- Prognosis
- Effective treatment can be targeted
What are used for acute stroke?
- Aspirin
- Thrombolysis
- Stroke unit care benefits
- Carotid endarterectomy
- Lower blood pressure in cerebral haemorrhage
- Thrombectomy for acute ischaemic stroke
What does making an accurate diagnosis in stroke require?
- Detailed history and examination
- Appropriate test including brain imaging
- Tests to identify the mechanism (extracranial vessels, heart, blood tests, etc)
Which part of the brain is affected in stroke?
- cortical or subcortical (lacunar)
- Left or right
- Anterior (carotid) or posterior (vertebrobasilar)
What is the benefit of localizing the stroke?
- confirms diagnosis
- Guides brain and vessel imaging
- Guides likely cause and tests needed
- Guides prognosis
What are the basic anatomy for stroke?
- Basic vascular supply
- Motor system: cortical vs subcortical
- Basic brainstem anatomy
- Basic hemisphere localization of function
What are the divisions of cerebral circulation?
- MCA
- ACA
- PCA
What does MCA supply?
Lateral hemisphere convexity and underlying cortex/ some of white matter