A stroke occurs when blood flow to part of the brain is stopped — either by a blockage or rupture of a blood vessel. Symptoms can range from mild to severe. The faster treatment begins, the better your chance for a good recovery.
Doctors diagnose a stroke based on symptoms and tests, including imaging and blood work. They may also use clot-dissolving drugs and procedures, surgery to repair the ruptured blood vessels, or other treatments.
Your brain needs a steady supply of oxygen-rich blood. If something blocks this flow, your brain cells start dying within minutes because they can’t get enough oxygen. This is called an ischemic stroke. There are many different things that can cause it, but one of the most common causes is an artery that supplies blood to your brain getting blocked by a clot.
This happens when the fatty buildups (plaques) that line your arteries break open and create a clot in the narrowed artery that supplies blood to your brain. The clot stops blood flow and starves brain cells of oxygen. Eventually, the brain cells die and you have a stroke.
Sometimes the clot stays in place and continues to block blood flow, or it breaks off and travels through your bloodstream to another artery that supplies the brain, blocking it completely (called an embolic stroke). Embolic strokes often happen because of heart conditions like atrial fibrillation or because of diseases that affect the blood vessels in the head, such as Moyamoya disease.
If you think someone is having a stroke, call 911 right away. The quicker you get them to the hospital, the more likely they are to have a good outcome. Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and do a physical exam. They will also order imaging tests, such as a CT scan or an MRI, and check your blood pressure.
People who have had a stroke might have trouble with their balance, coordination and memory. They might also have trouble walking, moving their arms or legs and controlling their bladder. They might have problems with their speech and language and have difficulty understanding what other people are saying. They might have a hard time swallowing and chewing food. They might also have a drooping or weakness on one side of their face, which makes it difficult to smile or raise the arm on that side. Their eyes might look droopy, and they may have trouble finding words or spelling. Their hands might be clumsy and shaky. They might also have trouble with their emotions and can’t remember things they’ve done or seen.
A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that supplies oxygen and nutrients to part of your brain bursts or becomes blocked by a clot. If you suffer a stroke, it’s important to seek medical treatment right away. Immediate treatment can reduce the chances of long-term disabilities, and it will help you recover more quickly.
About 87% of all strokes are ischemic, which means that an obstruction — such as a blood clot or a plaque fragment — is blocking a blood vessel in your brain. When a clot forms inside the brain, it’s called thrombosis; when an embolus travels from another part of the body and blocks an artery to the brain, it’s called an embolism. Ischemic strokes are classified based on where the clot forms and how far downstream in the artery it stops blood flow.
Bleeding into the brain tissue (hemorrhagic) is less common than clot-caused strokes, but it can still be very dangerous. Hemorrhagic strokes can be caused by a ruptured blood vessel or by bleeding into the space between the brain and its outer covering, the arachnoid membrane (“sub” means under”).
If you think someone is having a stroke, call 911 right away. Check to see if one side of their face is drooping, or whether they can hold their arms out and keep them there; if not, that’s a sign of weakness or paralysis from a stroke. If they have trouble speaking or are slurring their words, that’s another sign. You can also test for a stroke by asking them to raise both of their arms. If one drifts downward, it’s a sign of muscle weakness or paralysis.
In addition to doing a physical exam, your doctor will ask about your family history and other health conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. They’ll also look for a slurred or strange voice, and listen to your carotid arteries in the neck with a stethoscope for a sound that indicates abnormal blood flow.
To confirm a stroke, your doctor may order an imaging test such as a CT scan or an ultrasound of the brain and neck. They might also use a technique called cerebral angiography, which involves inserting a small tube into an artery in the groin or wrist and then injecting a dye that shows on X-rays where the clot is located.
A stroke happens when an artery that supplies blood to part of your brain is blocked. This can lead to death of brain cells and damage to nerves. A stroke is a medical emergency, and you must seek treatment right away. Call 911 or your local emergency number. The sooner you receive treatment, the less likely it is that your brain will have permanent damage and long-term disability.
A healthcare provider will ask you questions and do a physical exam. They will check your strength, balance, and reflexes. They will also ask you to lift your arms and see if one drifts downward (drooping).
An ultrasound test can show whether your arteries are blocked. An MRI scan can provide detailed images of your brain. This may help find the cause of your stroke.
The main goal of treating a stroke is to restore blood flow as quickly as possible. Clot-busting medicines called thrombolytics can reduce the amount of brain damage. But you must get them within three hours of the start of your symptoms to be effective.
Hemorrhagic strokes can be treated with surgery to repair the blood vessels that ruptured. They can also be treated with medicines that slow down the blood flow to the brain. Hemorrhagic strokes can also be treated with a procedure called endovascular thrombectomy. In this procedure, a healthcare provider inserts a catheter into your arteries and injects dye while they view them on an imaging scan. The clot can then be removed.
You can reduce your risk of a stroke by managing health conditions that increase your risk, such as high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation (a fast and irregular heart rhythm), diabetes, and high cholesterol. You should also have regular wellness visits with your healthcare provider. They can detect some health problems, such as obesity and sleep apnea, that contribute to having a stroke.
Every year, you should schedule a screening visit with your healthcare provider to discuss your family history of stroke and your personal risk factors for having a stroke. These include age, high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol, and being overweight.
If you suspect someone is having a stroke, call 911 or your local emergency number right away. A TIA is often the first sign of a future stroke, and the sooner you get medical care, the more likely the effects will be limited or reversed.
To diagnose a stroke, your doctor will do a physical examination and brain imaging tests. These can include an X-ray, CT scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to check for abnormal blood vessels in the head and neck. An electrocardiogram (EKG) can look for heart conditions that may have contributed to the stroke, including irregular heartbeat and high blood pressure.
The most common type of stroke is a clot-related stroke, or ischemic stroke. When a blood clot blocks an artery in the brain, it prevents oxygen and nutrients from reaching affected brain cells, which quickly die. Unless blood flow and oxygen are restored within four hours, these cells will not regenerate, leading to devastating disabilities, including physical, cognitive and emotional problems.
A clot-busting medication can help open blocked blood vessels in the brain and reverse stroke symptoms. But this treatment must be given within three to four hours of the start of symptoms. It also can be used to treat other medical conditions that contribute to a stroke, such as high blood pressure, an irregular heartbeat and atrial fibrillation (another type of arrhythmia).
For hemorrhagic strokes, doctors use surgery to clip or drain the burst aneurysm or repair the defective blood vessel. They may also do endovascular therapy, in which a long, thin tube (catheter) is inserted into an artery in the groin or wrist, then guided to the damaged blood vessel in the brain. The catheter releases dye, which is viewed on X-ray images to detect a clot. The catheter can then be used to break up or remove the clot.
After a stroke, recovery and rehabilitation can include physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy to address the problems that arise as a result of the stroke. These may include trouble thinking and remembering, problems with muscle coordination and movement, difficulty going to the bathroom, pain or discomfort, trouble swallowing and difficulty eating.
A stroke happens when part of the brain can’t get the blood it needs because a blood vessel has a clot or blockage (ischemic stroke) or ruptures and bleeds (hemorrhagic stroke). The sooner someone having a stroke gets emergency treatment, the lower their chances of serious long-term complications.
Watch for these common stroke symptoms in yourself or a loved one: 1. Facial weakness – Does one side of the mouth droop when they smile? 2. Arm weakness – Can they raise both arms at the same time?
A stroke happens when the blood flow to your brain is interrupted. This can be because a blood clot blocks the flow (ischemic stroke), or the artery in your brain ruptures leading to leakage and bleeding (hemorrhagic stroke). Whatever causes the problem, the result is that brain cells don’t get the oxygen they need. This can cause a wide range of symptoms, depending on the area of the brain affected. You should watch out for sudden weakness or numbness in the face and arms, and trouble speaking or understanding speech. These symptoms are called aphasia or dysarthria, and can be signs of damage to areas of your brain that control speech and movement.
Warning symptoms may only last for a few minutes, but don’t ignore them. These brief episodes are known as transient ischemic attack (TIA), or “mini-strokes.” A TIA is a serious warning sign and can lead to a full stroke in the few days that follow, so it is important to see your doctor right away.
In addition to treating the underlying cause of your stroke, doctors can offer treatment to help prevent any long-term effects. This usually includes medicines to dissolve a blood clot, or a procedure called endovascular thrombectomy. They can also recommend therapy and other care to help you regain function after a stroke, such as physical, occupational and speech therapy.
You can check whether someone is having a stroke by asking them to smile and seeing if their mouth or eye droops. Have them raise both arms and see if one is weak or drifts downward. Finally, ask them to say a simple phrase and listen for slurred speech.
Some strokes affect the part of the brain that controls how we use the muscles in our mouth and throat to speak. As a result, your speech may become slurred or you might have difficulty understanding other people’s speech (aphasia). This is common after a stroke that affects the Broca’s area of the brain.
If you think someone is having a stroke, call 911 right away. Every minute that passes without treatment can cause further brain damage and reduce the chances of a full recovery. Use the acronym FAST to help remember key symptoms:
The damage caused by a stroke can also make it harder to control your emotions. Depression and anxiety are common after a stroke, as well as feelings of anger and frustration. You might feel tired all the time, which can make it hard to sleep, which in turn can make you even more depressed and anxious.
It’s important to manage your health conditions and risk factors, such as obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, to help lower your chance of having a stroke. Regular checkups and wellness visits with your healthcare provider can help detect these conditions early.
A stroke is a medical emergency because it means that part of your brain is not getting the oxygen and nutrients it needs to work. This is because a blood clot or blockage — either from a thrombotic stroke, when a clot forms in a blood vessel in your brain, or an embolic stroke, when a clot travels from somewhere else in your body and blocks a blood vessel to your brain — or a haemorrhagic stroke, when the wall of a blood vessel bursts and causes a bleed in your brain.
Sudden blurred vision is a sign of a stroke that affects the part of the brain that processes visual information. It may also be a sign of a hemorrhagic stroke, which occurs when an artery bursts or leaks blood in the brain, usually due to high blood pressure or an aneurysm. People with high blood pressure and other risk factors for a stroke like diabetes are more likely to experience this type of vision change in the eye.
Blurry or blackened vision is a serious emergency that needs to be treated right away, even if it only happens in one eye. It could indicate a blockage in the small arteries or veins that bring blood to the eye, which can lead to a bigger stroke in the future.
Other signs of a possible stroke include numbness or weakness in one side of the face, confusion or difficulty speaking or understanding speech, trouble walking and balancing, or a severe headache that has no known cause. If you or someone you know experiences these symptoms, call 911 right away to get medical help as quickly as possible.
There are other causes of sudden blurred or darkened vision, including inflammation in the small arteries that bring blood to your eyes called optic neuritis, which can be caused by certain medical conditions, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The symptoms of this condition appear suddenly and involve only one eye. They may include a throbbing headache in the area around your temples, blurred or darkened vision, and loss of color perception.
A stroke can affect how you move your body. This can make you feel clumsy or unsteady on your feet. It can also interfere with the way your brain controls movement, causing a problem known as ataxia.
It’s not always easy to see the signs of a stroke in yourself or someone else, but it’s important to try to identify them as soon as possible. This can help people get the treatment they need to prevent further damage and reduce the impact of any disability caused by the stroke.
Different parts of the brain control different abilities, so when you have a stroke, the symptoms depend on which part of the brain has been affected. For example, if you have a stroke in the area of the brain that controls language, your speech may be slurred (dysarthria). Or the synapse between the brain and its outer covering — the arachnoid membrane — might have been damaged, leading to bleeding into this space.
If you think someone is having a stroke, it’s important to take them to hospital straight away so they can be given tPA (tissue plasminogen activator), a medicine that dissolves blood clots in the arteries. The sooner you give them this, the more likely it is they’ll recover.
Once the person has been assessed by their doctor, they might be sent to a specialist hospital to be looked at further. They’ll have tests such as an electrocardiogram and an echocardiogram, which can help detect heart problems and any clots. They’ll probably also have a CT scan, which shows how much the stroke has affected different areas of their brain. This will help the team decide what kind of therapy they need to give them to help with their recovery.
When someone suffers a stroke, the part of their brain where the damage occurred stops receiving oxygen and nutrients from the blood. Symptoms often include facial drooping, weakness in the arms or legs and slurred speech. They also may have trouble thinking clearly, swallowing or feeling pain and numbness.
Whether symptoms occur suddenly or slowly, they should be taken seriously and treated as a medical emergency. The faster they receive treatment, the better their chances of a full recovery. The best way to treat a stroke depends on what caused it — whether it’s a blocked artery (ischemic stroke) or bleeding inside the brain (hemorrhagic stroke).
Blocked arteries can be the result of fatty deposits that build up in the blood vessels, as well as blood clots, most often formed by old age or high blood pressure. If they’re the cause, doctors use surgery to remove clots or insert a clot-dissolving drug. They can also perform procedures such as carotid endarterectomy, where a doctor removes the fatty tissue blocking one of the two main arteries that supply blood to the brain.
Bleeding inside the brain can be caused by a rupture or a leak from a weakened part of the brain called an aneurysm. Often the result is that blood passes through the outer covering of the brain and into the space between the brain and the arachnoid membrane, where it can put pressure on brain tissue. If the arachnoid membrane weakens, a brain hemorrhage can also occur. The arachnoid membrane is made of a thin layer of tissue with a spiderweb-like pattern that surrounds the brain. Symptoms can range from a sudden loss of coordination to severe and permanent disability, depending on where the aneurysm occurs in the brain and how much of the brain it affects.
Treatment for a stroke depends on what part of your brain was affected and how much damage occurred. The sooner you get to a hospital with expertise in stroke, the better your chances of a good recovery.
You’ll receive clot-busting medications called thrombolytics. These medicines — such as tissue plasminogen activator (tPA, Alteplase) — need to be given within hours of the start of your symptoms.
The goal of thrombolytics is to dissolve dangerous blood clots and restore normal blood flow. This treatment can help prevent the brain and other tissues from being damaged by a lack of oxygen caused by a blocked blood vessel. Your healthcare provider can give you a clot-busting medication through an IV in your arm or by using a catheter that delivers drugs directly to the site of the blood clot. Getting the drug into your blood stream as soon as possible can reduce your risk of permanent damage from a stroke.
Your healthcare provider can tell you if you’re a good candidate for thrombolytic therapy. They will ask you about your past medical history, especially whether you’ve ever had a clot in your legs (deep vein thrombosis). They’ll also ask if you’re over 75, have high blood pressure or eye diseases related to diabetes, or have a severe low platelet count. If you’re a candidate, your healthcare provider will start giving you the medication within 30 minutes of your arrival at the hospital.
Thrombolysis can treat a variety of conditions, including clots in the arteries that feed your heart and brain (ischemic strokes), and clots in the lungs (pulmonary embolism). You may be at a higher risk for a stroke if you’re over 75 or have had other health problems like high blood pressure, high cholesterol or heart disease. Thrombolytic therapy can be given to you through an IV in your arm or by using long catheters that deliver medication directly to the site of the blood clot. You may need to stay in the hospital so your healthcare provider can monitor your condition and watch for bleeding complications.
If you’re a candidate for a catheter-directed thrombolysis procedure, your healthcare provider will use x-ray imaging to guide a long catheter with a mechanical device attached to the tip to the site of the blood clot in your artery. The device can break up or remove the clot, or it can irritate the area to cause the clot to break apart on its own.
Blood flows freely through your blood vessels, called arteries and veins. Clots in these blood vessels can interrupt this flow and lead to stroke, which can affect your body’s organs and limbs. Thrombolytic drugs can break up and dissolve some types of clots, but they must be given within a few hours of when symptoms begin. Blood clot removal, also known as thrombectomy, may be needed to prevent life-threatening complications or treat serious blood clots that don’t respond to clot-busting medications.
Thrombectomy involves ensnaring and removing the clot that’s blocking blood flow in your brain. In a recent large international study, people with ischemic stroke who underwent mechanical clot removal had better outcomes than those who didn’t receive the procedure.
NYU Langone’s vascular specialists use several minimally invasive methods of retrieving clots. For some procedures, a doctor threads a thin tube (catheter) into the blood vessel containing the clot to remove it. With other techniques, a doctor breaks up the clot into smaller pieces and then suctions them out. Your doctor will give you a sedative but keep you awake for this procedure. If you’re very ill, or if the clot is near your heart or lungs, doctors might use general anesthesia.
A new technique has expanded the window of time when this lifesaving procedure can be used to treat a stroke. The REVASCAT trial, which was conducted through the NIH StrokeNet(link is external) research network, showed that it’s safe to physically remove clots from large blood vessels in the brain even up to 16 hours after a stroke occurs.
The team led by Professor of Medicine Ajay Wakhloo at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and Wyss Institute founding director Donald Ingber has developed a drug-device combination that quickly dissolves life-threatening clots and restores blood flow in obstructed arteries. This method is being studied in an ongoing series of clinical trials, including a multi-center study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The approach uses a catheter-based system to reach a clot inside your brain and then dislodge it with a wire hook attached to a tiny trap. The system uses continuous X-ray imaging to help guide it into the blood vessel with the clot.
Surgical clipping is an aneurysm repair procedure that can reduce your risk of another hemorrhagic stroke, which is when blood from the brain ruptures and pours into the space around the brain. During this procedure, a neurosurgeon removes a section of the skull to access the aneurysm. Next, they locate the blood vessel that feeds it and place a tiny metal clip on the neck of the aneurysm to stop blood flow into it. The clip is made of titanium and remains on the artery permanently. A neurosurgeon performs this surgery and has specialized training in cerebrovascular surgery.
A brain aneurysm is a weak area in the wall of an artery that balloons out, forming a sac or bulge. If it ruptures, it causes a life-threatening hemorrhagic stroke. Ruptured aneurysms also can cause a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which is a type of stroke in which blood leaks into the space between the brain and skull. A subarachnoid hemorrhage can lead to brain damage, long-lasting disability, or even death. Surgical clipping can treat an unruptured or ruptured aneurysm, and it’s an excellent choice for people with a large or unruptured aneurysm because it’s highly effective at reducing the chance of another bleed.
The aneurysm clipping procedure is similar to a regular open surgery, but the surgeon may use a thin tube called a catheter. The catheter is inserted through a small opening in your artery and guided to the site of the aneurysm. Before the surgeon places the clip, they will prepare the aneurysm by releasing the clot and freeing and isolating the blood vessel from other structures. The surgeon then uses a tweezers-like applier to place the clip over the aneurysm neck. Once the clip is released, it closes and pinches off the aneurysm from the parent artery.
There are two common treatment options for repairing a ruptured aneurysm: surgical clipping and endovascular coiling. Both techniques can be used to treat a brain aneurysm, but they have different benefits and risks. One study found that clipping has higher occlusion rates, lower rates of residual aneurysm, and fewer complications than coiling.
In this procedure, surgeons open the skull to remove an abnormal tangle of enlarged blood vessels called a cerebral arteriovenous malformation (or AVM). It is performed under general anesthesia. To access the brain, your neurosurgeon will make a long incision in your scalp overlying the area of the AVM. The surgeon folds back this tissue and drills a series of small holes in the skull to create a section that can be removed. This section is then stored to be replaced after surgery.
The surgeon then uses a microscope to isolate the AVM and separate it from the normal surrounding brain tissue. The surgeon will also coagulate the blood vessels around the AVM to cut off its supply of blood and reduce the risk of hemorrhage.
Because AVMs are tangled networks of blood vessels, there is a higher risk of bleeding and damage to surrounding brain tissue during surgical removal than from other treatment options. Despite this, surgical AVM removal offers many benefits including the fact that it is a complete cure for the condition.
However, because of the risks involved, surgical AVM removal should be reserved for patients who have ruptured AVMs that are causing symptoms and putting pressure on surrounding brain tissues. The decision to perform surgery is based on a combination of the patient’s symptoms and imaging findings.
A grading system is used to score the AVM and predict its risk for complications during surgery. A lower grade is associated with a better outcome. The grading system takes into account factors such as the size of the AVM, its proximity to critical (“eloquent”) brain tissue and whether the venous drainage is superficial or deep.
The surgical team consists of cerebrovascular neurosurgeons, interventional radiologists and vascular neurologists. Each member brings unique expertise to the process. This team approach enables our neurosurgeons to offer the most comprehensive care for AVMs.
Before the operation, your neurosurgeon will explain the specific steps and risks of surgery to you. Your doctor may also recommend that you undergo a preoperative evaluation to ensure that you are healthy enough to undergo the procedure. During this evaluation, you will undergo tests such as an electroencephalogram or MRI.
A stroke happens when an artery closes, cutting off oxygen-rich blood to part of the brain. Within minutes, brain cells start to die. That’s why it’s important to get emergency care right away.
The sooner someone has a stroke, the more likely their symptoms can be reversed. You can help reduce your risk of a stroke by controlling your blood pressure, cholesterol and smoking.
Ischemic stroke occurs when a blood clot or other blockage prevents oxygen-rich blood from getting to part of your brain. It accounts for about 87% of all strokes. This type of stroke usually happens when an artery in the brain becomes blocked by plaque or a blood clot. The clot or thrombus can be formed inside the brain (embolic stroke) or it may break off from somewhere else in the body, travel through the bloodstream to the brain, and then block an artery there (thrombotic stroke). Blood clots are most often caused by heart disease, such as abnormal heart rhythms like atrial fibrillation or problems with the heart valves; high cholesterol levels; diabetes; obesity; smoking; or other conditions, such as high blood pressure, a heart attack, or inflammation of the arteries.
A blood clot may also form in the deep veins of your legs or groin (deep vein thrombosis), or in your heart (embolic stroke). Clots formed in your heart can break off and travel through the bloodstream to the lungs, where they can block an artery to the brain (pulmonary embolism). Blood clots and thromboses are more likely to occur when you’re bedridden or sitting for long periods of time, such as after surgery or during recovery from an illness or pregnancy.
Other things that can cause a stroke include an infection, severe bleeding or bruising, or a sudden decrease in blood pressure that reduces blood flow to your brain (hypotension). People who have had one or more TIAs are at greater risk for having another stroke.
The most common symptoms of an ischemic stroke are weakness on one side of the body (aphasia), difficulty walking or balance issues, and changes in vision or hearing. You should call emergency services if you see someone who has these symptoms. To test a person’s balance, ask them to raise their arms. If they can’t lift them, or if they stay up higher on one side than the other, this suggests that they’ve had a stroke. You can also ask the person to speak a simple sentence, and see if they slur their speech or have trouble understanding others.
A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures and bleeds. This type of stroke deprives the brain of oxygen and can cause permanent damage and death of brain cells. Blood clots also interrupt normal blood flow and can cause further complications. Hemorrhagic stroke can be caused by many different conditions, such as a ruptured aneurysm, a cavernous malformation, a venous angioma or a brain tumor. Other causes include a dissection, a tear in the lining of an artery, bleeding disorders such as hemophilia or sickle cell disease and other diseases that affect the blood vessels in the brain.
If you think someone is experiencing a hemorrhagic stroke, it is important to call 911. The sooner treatment is initiated, the better the chance of minimizing the severity of the stroke and its effect on a person’s life.
The symptoms of a hemorrhagic stroke depend on which area of the brain is affected and how severe the injury is. The hallmark sign is a sudden and severe headache, often described as the worst headache a person has ever experienced, known as a thunderclap headache. It may also be accompanied by numbness or weakness in the face, arms or legs and difficulty speaking or swallowing.
Treatment for a hemorrhagic stroke includes medications to prevent further bleeding and reduce the pressure in the skull. These medications may include anticoagulants, clotting factor infusions or other medications to boost the body’s natural clotting processes. Sometimes, surgery is needed to remove accumulated blood or relieve the pressure on the brain.
Hemorrhagic strokes can be prevented by reducing the risk factors for this type of stroke, such as high blood pressure, use of recreational drugs or tobacco and a family history of hemorrhagic strokes. In addition, a person can help reduce their risk by eating a healthy diet, staying physically active, not smoking and limiting their alcohol intake. In addition to medication and physical therapy, some people who suffer a stroke may need speech, occupational or psychological therapy to improve their quality of life. Research has shown that between 12-39% of those who survive a hemorrhagic stroke can achieve long-term functional independence.
A TIA is usually caused by a blood clot in the small arteries that supply the brain. These clots often form in the neck. People who have had one TIA are more likely to have another, so they must take care to avoid getting them again. These clots are the same as those that cause stroke, and they can be just as deadly.
TIAs can occur only once or they may happen repeatedly, usually over a short period of time (minutes to hours). They can affect different parts of the brain and produce the same symptoms as a stroke, including weakness on one side of the body, problems with balance, vision changes, and a drooping face. If you have any of these symptoms, call 9-1-1 immediately.
The main difference between a TIA and a stroke is that with a TIA, the decrease in blood flow to the brain resolves itself. In contrast, a full stroke disrupts the flow of blood for much longer and causes more permanent damage to the brain.
If you have a TIA, doctors will treat it as though you are having a stroke. They will check for a clot and order imaging tests of your head and neck to get detailed pictures of the insides of your blood vessels. If there is evidence of a blood clot, they might give you a clot-dissolving medicine. This medicine needs to be given within a few hours of the onset of symptoms for it to work.
Once the TIA is over, doctors will arrange follow-up appointments with you. They will probably give you advice about lifestyle and health changes to reduce your risk of having another TIA or a stroke. They might also prescribe medicines to help prevent future clots.
Because a TIA is a warning sign that you are at high risk of having a full stroke, the sooner you get medical attention, the better. If you or someone you know is having a TIA, use the FAST test: F — FACE — A — S T. This will help you remember the key stroke symptoms, which are facial weakness or numbness, difficulty speaking, and trouble walking.
During a CVA, blood flow stops to part of the brain. This can be caused by a blood clot (ischemic stroke) or a ruptured blood vessel (hemorrhagic stroke). CVA symptoms vary depending on the type and location of the brain affected.
Ischemic strokes are most common, and they happen when a blood clot blocks the blood vessels that supply oxygen to the brain. This can be caused by clots that form in the brain’s arteries, or from fatty deposits and plaque that build up in the arteries. Blood clots that travel from other parts of the body to the brain and get lodged in one of the arteries are also known as emboli.
The most important piece of historical information to obtain from a patient with stroke is the time of symptom onset. This helps determine whether the person is eligible for rtPA, or a procedure to break down the clot and restore normal blood flow (endovascular treatment). In addition, doctors should obtain the patient’s past medical history and ask about risk factors, including high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, atrial fibrillation, drug abuse, migraines, seizures, and pregnancy (either recent or pending).
CVA symptoms include sudden loss of consciousness, weakness in one side of the body or in the ability to speak clearly, difficulty walking, changes in vision and the presence of a headache. The severity of the symptoms can range from minor to life-threatening, depending on the type of stroke and how long the person was without oxygen.
A patient who has experienced a stroke should be evaluated in hospital as quickly as possible. The longer a stroke goes untreated, the more brain damage it causes. To speed up the diagnosis, the doctor will do a physical examination and check the patient’s blood pressure. A CAT scan (a type of X-ray) or an ultrasound of the heart may be done to show if there is bleeding into the brain. Other tests, including a blood test and an electrocardiogram, are often used to rule out treatable conditions that cause stroke-like symptoms. If a stroke is diagnosed, doctors can begin treatment to help prevent more damage and improve the chances for recovery.