Cerebrovascular disorders Flashcards
(13 cards)
What is a cerebrovascular disorder?
Any issue with blood circulation in the brain.
What is the importance of cerebrovascular disorder?
These are the most common types of brain-related disorders.
What are the three main types?
- Stroke
- Aneurysm
- Vascular malformation
What is a cerebrovascular accident or strokes (brain attacks) ?
A “brain attack” where blood flow to part of the brain is blocked or a blood vessel bursts
What are the risk factors of stroke?
- People with diabetes are twice as likely to have a stroke.
- Plaque buildup (fatty deposits) in arteries can block blood flow and lead to a stroke.
What are the types of stroke?
- Ischemic Stroke (85% of cases): Caused by a blood clot blocking blood flow to the brain.
- Thrombotic: Clot forms in a brain artery.
- Embolic: Clot travels from another part of the body to the brain.
- Treated with thrombolysis (clot-busting drugs) within a time limit.
- Hemorrhagic Stroke (15% of cases): Caused by bleeding in the brain due to a burst blood vessel.
- Can increase pressure in the brain, especially if it causes a large clot (hematoma).
What is an aneurysm?
An aneurysm happens when there’s a weak spot in a blood vessel wall, causing it to bulge out.
What are the types of aneurysms?
Saccular (berry): A small, rounded bulge on one side of the vessel.
Fusiform: A wider bulge that affects the whole circumference of the vessel.
Dissecting: A tear in the vessel wall causes blood to flow between the layers.
False Aneurysm: Blood collects outside the vessel but is contained by surrounding tissue.
What are the symptoms of an aneurysm?
Aneurysms are often asymptomatic (cause no symptoms) unless they grow large or rupture, which can lead to bleeding in the brain.
What is a arteriovenous?
arteriovenous malformation (AVM)
What is a normal blood flow?
- In a healthy blood vessel network, arteries carry blood to smaller vessels called capillaries, where oxygen is delivered to tissues.
- After passing through capillaries, the blood goes to veins, which carry it back to the heart.
What is arteriovenous malformation (AVM)
- In AVM, the normal capillary network is missing, and there is a tangled mass of enlarged, twisted blood vessels.
- This abnormal structure causes blood to flow directly from arteries to veins without passing through capillaries, disrupting normal blood flow and oxygen delivery.
Why does AVM matter?
AVMs can put pressure on blood vessels, increasing the risk of bleeding in the brain, which can lead to serious complications like a hemorrhage.
