Week 3 Flashcards
What is a stroke?
- A blocked or ruptured blood vessel in the brain causing a failure of neuronal function leading (usually) to some deficit in brain function.
what % of stroke are caused by infarction?
80-95%
what % of stroke are caused by haemorrhage?
10-15%
how can atrial fibrillation cause a cardioembolic stroke?
- Atria beating in an irregular, uncontrolled manner,
- This causes the blood to swirl and stay within the atria.
- This can cause a blood clot to form in the left atrial appendage.
- This embolism can travel to arteries supplying brain with blood, causing a blockage and subsequent stroke.
What’s a rarer cause of stroke?
carotid dissection : idiopathic or trauma
what are the risk factors for stroke?
- Hypertension.
- Diabetes.
- Heart and blood vessel diseases such as coronary heart disease, atrial fibrillation, heart valve disease and carotid artery disease.
- High LDL cholesterol levels.
- Smoking.
- Age.
- Family history.
- Bleeding disorders.
what are some of the causes of haemorrhagic stroke?
- Hypertension (60-70%).
- Amyloid (15-20%).
- Excess alcohol.
- Hypercholesterolaemia.
- Haemorrhagic transformation.
what’s the pathophysiology of ischaemic stroke?
- Hypoxia stresses the metabolic machinery of brain cells which malfunction but are still alive.
- If prolonged, the hypoxia becomes anoxia (no oxygen).
- Anoxia results in infarction (complete cell death, leading to necrosis). This is a completed stroke.
- Further damage can result from oedema (swelling), depending on the size and location of the stroke, or secondary haemorrhage into the stroke.
What are the signs and symptoms of stroke?
- Motor (clumsy or weak limb).
- Sensory (loss of feeling).
- Speck: dysarthria/dysphasia.
- Neglect/visuospatial problems.
- Vision: loss in one eye, or hemianopia.
- Gaze palsy.
- Ataxia/vertigo/incoordination/nystagmus.
What are the stroke subtypes?
- TACS: total anterior circulation stroke.
- PACS: partial anterior circulation stroke.
- LACS: lacunar stroke, most associated with hypertension.
- POCS: posterior circulation stroke.
Describe the acute treatments for stroke.
- Thrombolysis: alteplase, benefit is highly time dependent.
- Antiplatelets.
- Statins
- Blood pressure management.
- Anticoagulation (apixaban, rivaroxaban).
what are some primary prevention strategies?
o Controlling blood pressure.
o Managing cholesterol levels.
o Smoking cessation.
o Diabetes management.
o Healthy diet.
what are some secondary prevention strategies of stroke?
o Antiplatelet therapy such as aspirin.
o Anticoagulant therapy such as warfarin.
o Blood pressure management.
o Cholesterol management with e.g., statins
o Lifestyle changes.
o Carotid artery surgery.
o Cardiac procedures e.g., atrial fibrillation ablation, pacemaker insertion and valve repair/replacement.
What are the investigations of stroke?
- Medial history and physical examination.
- CT scan.
- MRI scan.
- Blood tests to check for factors that can increase risk of stroke such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
- ECG can identify irregular rhythms that can cause stroke.
the thoracic aorta is partitioned into which three segments?
the ascending aorta, aortic arch and descending aorta.
what are the branches of the ascending aorta?
left and right coronary branches.
what are the branches of the aortic arch?
o Brachiocephalic trunk which divides into the right subclavian and the right common carotid arteries.
o Left common carotid artery.
o Left subclavian artery.
what are the descending aorta branches?
o Visceral branches: pericardial, bronchial, oesophageal, and mediastinal arteries.
o Parietal branches: intercostal, subcostal arteries and superior phrenic arteries.
what is the basic histology of the aorta?
tunica intima
tunica media
tunica adventitia
what does the tunica intima contain?
o Tunica intima: layer of endothelial cells, a subendothelial layer composed of collagen and elastic fibres, separated from tunica media by an internal elastic membrane.
what does the tunica media contain?
o Tunica media: smooth muscle cells, that secrete elastin in the form of sheets, or lamellae.
what does the tunica adventitia contain?
o Tunica adventitia: thin connective tissue layer, collagen fibres and elastic fibres, the collagen prevents elastic arteries from stretching beyond their physiological limits during systole.
what is am aneurysm?
- An aneurysm is a localised enlargement of an artery caused by a weakening of the vessel wall.
what % enlargement is considered an aneurysm?
50%
features of a true aneurysm
- True aneurysms can be saccular (on one side of the vessel wall) or fusiform (on both sides of the vessel wall). It involves all three layers.
what are true aneurysms associated with?
o Hypertension.
o Atherosclerosis.
o Smoking.
o Bicuspid aortic valve.
o Collagen abnormalities (Marfans).
o Infection (mycotic/syphilis).
o Trauma.
what causes a false aneurysm?
- False aneurysms can be caused by rupture of the wall of the aorta with the resulting hematoma either contained by the thin adventitial layer or by the surrounding soft tissue.