Stroke Presentation and Investigation Flashcards

1
Q
A
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What are the symptoms of a stroke?

A

Loss of power

Loss of sensation

Loss of speech – loss of comprehension or loss of ability

Loss of vision

Loss of coordination

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What are the essential things to ask about when taking a history?

A

Time of onset

Witnesses

Headache, vomiting, neck stifness, photophobia

Loss of consciousness

Fit

Incontinence

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is the neurological history likely to be?

A

Motor (clumbsy or weak limb)

Sensory (loss of feeling)

Speech (dysarthia - unclear articulation of speech that is otherwise linguistically normal) Dysphasia (deficiency in the generation of speech, and sometimes also in its comprehension)

Neglect / visospatial problems

Vision: Loss in one eye or hemianopia (blindness over half the field of vision). Gaze palsy (symmetric limitation of the movements of both eyes in the same direction)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What are the causes of stroke?

A
  • Blockage of a vessel with thrombus or clot
  • Disease of vessel wall
  • Disturbance of normal properties of blood
  • Rupture of vessel wall

–(haemorrhage)

Damage to part of the brain due to blockage of a blood vessel by thrombus or embolus (85% infarction)

Or due to haemorrhage from rupture of a blood vessel (15% haemorrhage)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Look at the different arteries

A
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What part of the brain does the carotid system supply?

A

The carotid system supplies most of the hemispheres and cortical deep white matter

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What does the vertebro-basilar system supply?

A

Brainstem

Cerebellum and occipital lobes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What is the motor cortex responsible for?

A

Movement

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is the frontal lobe responsible for?

A

Judgement, foresight and voluntary movement.

Smell

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is Broca’s arch responsible for?

A

Speech

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is the temporal lobe responsible for?

A

Intellectual and emotional functions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What is the brainstem responsible for?

A

Swallowing, breathing, heartbeat, wakefulness centre and other involuntray functions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is the cerebellum responsible for?

A

coordination

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What is Wernicke’s area responsible for?

A

SPeech comprehension

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is the occipital responsible for?

A

Primary visual area

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is the temproal lobe responsible for?

A

Hearing

18
Q

What is the parietal lobe responsible for?

A

Comprehension of language

19
Q

What is the sensory cortex responsible for?

A

Pain heat and other sensations

20
Q

Summary

A
21
Q

What are the causes of ischaemic stroke?

A
  1. Large artery atherosclerosis (e.g. Carotid) 35%
  2. Cardioembolic (e.g. atrial fibrillation) 25%
  3. Small artery occlusion (Lacunar) 25%
  4. Undetermined/Cryptogenic 10-15%
  5. Rare causes <5%

—- arterial dissection

— - venous sinus thrombosis

22
Q

What are the causes of haemorrhagic stroke?

A
  1. Primary intracerebral haemorrhage 70%
  2. Secondary haemorrhage 30%

—Subarachnoid haemorrhage

—Arteriovenous malformation

23
Q

What is the danger of PCI in a carotid stenosis?

A

PCI can dislodge clot and cause a stroke

24
Q

What is the most common cause of cardioembolic stroke?

A

Atrial fibrillation - blood that isn’t flowing will clot

25
Q

What vessels does a lacunar stroke involve?

A
26
Q

What are the parts of the brain that can be affected by a stroke?

A

Left or right

Carotid territory or vertibrobasilar territory

Cerebral hemispheres or brainstem

Cortex or deep white matter

27
Q

What do symptoms tell you about the likely diagnosis of the type of stroke?

A

What side of the brain is affected

Whether the lesion is in the brainstem (a brainstem stroke)

Whether the cortex is involved (a cortical stroke)

or if the lesion is in the deep white matter (a lacunar stroke)

What blood vessel is involved

28
Q

Why do we localise the origin of the stroke?

A

Confirms the diagnosis of the stroke

Allows better selection of imaging

Gives an indication of the cause

Gives an indication of the prognosis

29
Q

What are the stroke subtypes?

A

TACS: Total anterior circulation stroke

PACS: Partial anterior circulation stroke

LACS: Lacunar stroke

POCS: Posterior circulation stroke

30
Q

Describe the lesion and what would cause this defect?

A

Unilateral field loss

Left optic nerve compression

31
Q

What is the name of the following visual defect and the example lesion

A

Bilateral hemianopia - chiasmal compression from pituitary tumour

32
Q

What is the visual defect associated and give an example lesion

A

Homonmous hemianopia - left cerebrovascular event.

33
Q

What are the symptoms of total anterior circulation strokes (make up 20% of strokes in the community)?

A

Patient usually has weakness, sensory deficit

Homonymous hemianopia (loss of vision)

Higher cerebral dysfunction (eg dysphasia, dyspraxia)

34
Q

What is TACS usually due to?

A

Occlusion of proximal MCA or ICA (Middle carotid artery or internal carotid artery)

35
Q

What are the features of PAC strokes? (35% of strokes)

A

2 of 3 of TACS criteria or restricted motor/sensory deficit

eg. one limb, face and hand or higher cerebral dysfunction alone

36
Q

What causes PACS?

A

Occlusion of branches of MCA - more restricted cortical infarcts

37
Q

What are the features of a lacunar stroke?

A
_Pure motor (commonest)_
Complete or incomplete weakness of 1 side, involving the whole of 2 of 3 body areas (face/arm/leg)

Pure sensory
Sensory symptoms and/or signs, same distribution

Sensorimotor
Combination of the above

Ataxic hemiparesis
Hemiparesis and ipsilateral cerebellar ataxia
Small infarcts in basal ganglia or pons.

38
Q

What is the cause of Lacunar strokes? (20% of strokes)

A

Intrinsic disease of single basal perforating artery (end arteries).

39
Q

What part of the brain does the posterior circulation stroke affect?

A

25% of stroke

Affecting brainstem, cerebellar or occipital lobes.

40
Q

What are the features of a POCS?

A

Bilateral motor/sensory deficit

disordered conjugate eye movement

isolated homonymous hemianopia

ipsilateral cranial nerve palsy with contralateral motor/sensory deficit

coma

disordered breathing

tinnitus

vertigo

Horner’s

Variable, frequently complex presentation (may include any of the above)

41
Q

Summary of the Stroke epidaemiolgy

A

TACS - 20 %

PACS - 35%

POCS - 25%

LACS - 20%