Ischemic stroke

[Lizzy Liz]

An ischemic stroke is death of an area of brain tissue (cerebral infarction) resulting from an inadequate supply of blood and oxygen to the brain due to blockage of an artery.

Ischemic stroke usually results when an artery to the brain is blocked, often by a blood clot and/or a fatty deposit due to atherosclerosis.
Symptoms occur suddenly and may include muscle weakness, paralysis, lost or abnormal sensation on one side of the body, difficulty speaking, confusion, problems with vision, dizziness, and loss of balance and coordination.
Diagnosis is usually based on symptoms and results of a physical examination and brain imaging.
Other imaging tests (computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging) and blood tests are done to identify the cause of the stroke.
Treatment may include drugs to break up blood clots or to make blood less likely to clot and procedures to physically remove blood clots, followed by rehabilitation.
Preventive measures include control of risk factors, drugs to make blood less likely to clot, and sometimes surgery or angioplasty to open blocked arteries.
About one third of people recover all or most of normal function after an ischemic stroke.

(See also Overview of Stroke.)

[Little_Girl]

Ischemic stroke is sudden neurologic deficits that result from focal cerebral ischemia associated with permanent brain infarction (eg, positive results on diffusion-weighted MRI). Common causes are (from most to least common) atherothrombotic occlusion of large arteries; cerebral embolism (embolic infarction); nonthrombotic occlusion of small, deep cerebral arteries (lacunar infarction); and proximal arterial stenosis with hypotension that decreases cerebral blood flow in arterial watershed zones (hemodynamic stroke). Diagnosis is clinical, but CT or MRI is done to exclude hemorrhage and confirm the presence and extent of stroke. Thrombolytic therapy may be useful acutely in certain patients. Depending on the cause of stroke, carotid endarterectomy or stenting, antiplatelet drugs, or warfarin may help reduce risk of subsequent strokes.