Diagnosis of a Stroke
After symptoms are assessed to be positive of a stroke and medical help has arrived, an emergency team has to determine what type of stroke is occurring. Doctors need to make sure what you are experiencing is in fact a stroke and not a brain tumor or drug reaction. Imaging tests can help doctors diagnose what type of stroke a patient is experiencing.
Tests for stroke diagnosis:
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Left side shows a CT scan of a brain with a ischemic stroke, right side shows a CT scan of a brain with a hemorrhagic stoke
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Treatment of a Stroke
Treatment depends on whether it is an ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke.
Ischemic Stroke
To treat ischemic strokes, the blockage interrupting the blood flow to the brain must be quickly removed. Treatment options are:
To treat ischemic strokes, the blockage interrupting the blood flow to the brain must be quickly removed. Treatment options are:
- Emergency IV medicine: this is drug therapy that must be done within 4.5 hours of symptoms showing. Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is injected in a vein in the arm and dissolves the blood clot, allowing blood to flow into the brain.
- Emergency endovascular procedures: this is treating the stroke in the blood vessel this includes injecting tPA directly to the blockage by inserting a long tube through an artery in the groin and directly removing the clot with a stent retriever.
Hemorrhagic Stroke
To treat hemorrhagic strokes, doctors focus on controlling the bleeding and limiting the pressure on brain cells. Treatment options comprise of:
To treat hemorrhagic strokes, doctors focus on controlling the bleeding and limiting the pressure on brain cells. Treatment options comprise of:
- Drug therapy: drugs can lower intracranial pressure, lower blood pressure, prevent blood vessel spasms and seizures.
- Surgery: doctors may perform surgery to remove blood that is exerting pressure on brain tissues.
- Surgical clipping: to stop blood from flowing into an aneurysm a surgeon may place a clamp at the aneurysm’s base. This prevents the aneurysm from bursting.
- Coiling (endovascular embolization): this method uses a catheter to place detachable coils in an aneurysm causing the blood to clot. A catheter that releases the coils is inserted in an arty in the groin and directed into the brain.
- Stereotactic radiosurgery: beams of focused radiation repairs blood vessels malformations.
Recovery and Rehabilitation
A stroke is a severe medical emergency that mostly requires a recovery program. The goal is to recover 100% from a stroke, depending the severity and location of the stroke rehabilitation options typically include:
A stroke is a severe medical emergency that mostly requires a recovery program. The goal is to recover 100% from a stroke, depending the severity and location of the stroke rehabilitation options typically include:
- Dietitian help
- Physiotherapy
- Occupational therapy
- Speech pathology
- Working with neurologist or physicist
- Psychological therapy