Stroke - Presentation and Investigation Flashcards
What is a stroke?
Sudden loss of neurological function, that lasts more than 24 hours and is of vascular origin. Loss of power, loss of vision, loss of speech (important to differentiate from stroke).
How does a stroke differ from TIA?
TIA is less than 24 hours. TIA event symptoms will normally last less than 10 mins.
What are the stroke symptoms?
Loss of power
Loss of sensation (arm feels dead and cold)
Loss of speech (loss of comprehension of speech, or fluent speech)
Loss of vision (complete loss, or double vision in brain stem stroke)
Loss of coordination (in brain stem stroke)
What would you find on history/examination of a stroke patient?
Motor (clumsy or weak limb) Sensory (loss of feeling) Speech - dysathria/dysphasia Neglect/visuospatial problems Gaze palsy Ataxia/vertigo/incoordination/nystagmus
What are the most important symptoms in a stroke?
Loss of some function.
What is a gaze palsy?
Double vision (inability to move both eyes in the same direction).
What is ataxia?
Lack of coordination of voluntary movements.
What is dysathria?
Difficult or unclear articulation of speech.
What is dysphasia?
Deficiency in the generation of speech.
Why do people develop a stroke?
Damage to part of the brain due to blockage of the blood vessel by thrombus or embolus. Or due to haemorrhage from rupture of a blood vessel.
What is a penumbra?
Ischaemic area that is not dead as it still gets some oxygen from surrounding vessels but not quite enough - ‘sleeping’.
What may cause a vessel to rupture causing haemorrhage?
Hypertension
Congenitally weak vessels
Signs and symptoms of a stroke will depend on what?
Part of brain affected, which part of circulation blocked.
What are the three circulations that can be affected in a stroke?
Anterior circulation
Posterior circulation
Circle of Willis.
Where is the easiest place for a clot to go to?
Middle cerebral artery.
Where does the carotid system supply in the brain?
Most of the hemispheres and cortical deep white matter.
What does the vertebra-basilar system supply in the brain?
Brain stem, cerebellum and occipital lobes.
Motor cortex
movement
frontal lobe
judgement, foresight, voluntary movement
Broca’s area
speech