A patient's perspective

Introduction

pt. 1. The basics

1. What is a stroke?

2. What is a transient ischemic attack (TIA)?

3. What is the difference between transient ischemic attack and stroke?

4. What are the major causes of stroke?

5. How does a CT help with the diagnosis of stroke?

6. How does an MRI help with the diagnosis of stroke?

pt. 2. Symptoms of transient ischemic attacks and strokes

7. What are the common symptoms of transient ischemic attacks and stroke?

8. What is neglect syndrome?

9. What is aphasia?

10. Is dizziness a sign of stroke?

11. Is blurring of vision a sign of stroke?

12. What is "locked-in syndrome"?

13. How often do you get headaches with stroke?

pt. 3. Types of ischemic strokes

14. What is a lacunar stroke?

15. What is an embolic stroke?

pt. 4. Cardiac causes for stroke

16. What is a trial fibrillation?

17. What is a paradoxical embolus?

18. What is the risk of stroke after a hart attack?

19. What is endocarditis?

20. Can strokes occur as a result of aortic arch disease?

21. How common are strokes from cardiac procedures?

pt. 5. Strokes from the carotid and vertebral arteries

22. How do you diagnose disease in the carotid and vertebral arteries?

23. How do you treat symptomatic carotid disease?

24. Should you treat asymptomatic carotid narrowing?

25. What if I do not qualify for surgery?

26. What if the carotid artery is completely blocked?

27. What if the narrowing of the artery is not accessible by surgery?

28. Can medication be a substitute for surgery in treating carotid disease?

29. What is a dissection?

30. What causes a dissection?

31. What is fibromuscular dysplasia?

32. How do you treat dissections?

33. What is a dissecting aneurysm?

34. Can dissections reoccur?

pt. 6. Clotting abnormalities as a cause for strokes

35. What are the common clotting disorders?

36. How does an abnormality in clotting factors increase the risk for stroke?

37. How do you test for clotting disorders?

38. What is the treatment for clotting abnormalities?

39. Can cancer cause a stroke?

pt. 7. Hemorrhagic stroke

40. What are the major causes of intracerebral hemorrhages?

41. What factors contribute to worsening of outcome in bleeds?

42. How do you treat bleeds?

43. How do you manage blood pressure in patients with a bleed?

44. How common is bleeding from warfarin?

45. What is an arterial-venous malformation?

46. What is a cerebral cavernous angioma?

pt. 8. Subarachnoid hemorrhage

47. What are the symptoms of subarachnoid hemorrhage?

48. What is a warning leak?

49. How do you diagnose subarachnoid hemorrhage?

50. What is the risk of bleeding from an aneurysm?

51. What are the risk factors that cause an aneurysm to bleed?

52. Do aneurysms smaller than 7 mm bleed?

53. Are aneurysms inherited?

54. Can you have a subarachnoid hemorrhage without an aneurysm?

55. How is an aneurysm treated?

56. How do you treat complications from subarachnoid hemorrhage?

57. How do you monitor for spasms?

58. How do you treat spasms?

pt. 9. Vasculitis

59. What is giant cell arteritis?

60. What is primary central nervous system vasculitis?

61. Can other inflammatory diseases cause central nervous system vasculitis?

62. Can sarcoidosis cause strokes?

63. Can lupus cause strokes?

64. Can HIV cause strokes?

pt. 10. Other causes of stroke

65. Can you have a stroke in the vein instead of the artery?

66. What is arterial-venous dural fistula?

67. Can street drugs cause strokes?

68. Can sickle cell disease cause stroke?

69. What is moyamoya disease?

70. What is MELAS?

71. Does radiation cause strokes?

72. Do migraines cause strokes?

73. Does taking oral contraceptives cause strokes?

74. What is CADASIL?

pt. 11. Medical treatment of ischemic strokes

75. When do you give tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA)?

76. How are transient ischemic attacks treated?

77. What is the best blood-thinning medication to prevent stroke?

78. Are higher doses of aspirin more effective?

79. What is the correct does of aspirin to help prevent strokes?

80. Are there alternatives to aspirin?

81. Is clopidogrel or ticlopidine (Ticlid) as effective as aspirin in preventing stroke?

82. How effective is dipyridamole?

83. Can I continue to take aspirin and ibuprofen for my joint pain?

84. Is the discontinuation of aspiring for elective surgery necessary?

85. When is warfarin used to prevent strokes?

86. What should I do if I notice an excessive amount of bleeding while I am on warfarin?

87. Is it necessary to discontinue warfarin for minor surgeries and dental cleaning?

88. What happens if I don't take warfarin for a few days?

89. Is heparin used to treat strokes?

pt. 12. Complications from stroke

90. What are the most common complications from stroke?

91. How should blood pressure be managed in an acute stroke?

pt. 13. Cardiac arrest and brain injury

92. How can you determine recovery of brain function after cardiac arrest?

pt. 14. Risk factors

93. What are the major risk factors for stroke?

94. Should patients with recent stroke also get evaluated for underlying asymptomatic coronary artery disease?

pt. 15. Recovery and rehabilitation

95. What is constraint-induced movement therapy?

96. Are there medications that can affect recovery from a stroke?

97. What if normal swallowing does not return?

98. What is spasticity?

99. Is irritability and depression common after stroke?

100. How are decisions regarding extent of card made?

Closing remarks

Resources

Glossary

Index.