Carotid Dissection Case Study Examples

In many cases, strokes can be diagnosed, prevented and treatable. Symptoms of a stroke can occur quickly and may cause: sudden numbness, tingling, or weakness, or paralysis in your face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of your body. Sudden: vision changes, trouble speaking (slurred speech), confusion or trouble understanding simple statements, problems with walking or balance, severe headache. It's recommended to call a doctor or 911 even if these symptoms last for a short amount of time because a transient ischemic attack, or mini stroke may have occurred. The transient ischemic attack may be a precursor to a stroke occurring soon. Catching these symptoms can dramatically increase chances of prevention additional damage to the body (2).

Ischaemic stroke is a serious neurological condition in which a blood clot stops blood flow to the brain and for which immediate action is required. It is the fourth cause of death in Western society, causing 87% of all strokes, and also results in long-term disability among survivors (Bunevicius et al., 2013). In the United States, about 800,000 strokes occur each year, and approximately six million Americans are living with neurological deficits caused by ischaemic strokes (Duong, 2012). Therefore, neuroradiological imaging has become a major section in radiology departments.

According to our American Red Cross Nursing Assistant text a cerebral vascular accident, C.V.A., or stroke occurs when blood flow to a part of the brain is interrupted. The loss of blood supply results in the death of brain cells. (Page 91) When your brain starts to die the bodily functions the brain controls can be affected. The affected bodily functions depend on what part of the brain does not receive oxygen. Web MD says damage “can occur within 3-4 minutes if not treated.”

As mentioned above, strokes are pathophysiological changes. Ischemia which accounts for 87% of all strokes is a decrease or absent circulating blood which deprives neurons of necessary substrates. As there is no storage of glucose in the brain it leaves no opportunity for the chief ingredient for energy substrate and is incapable of anaerobic metabolism (Shah, MD, n.d.). Ischemia is a medical condition diagnosed when tissues do not have a sufficient oxygen supply, therefor resulting in a decrease in ATP energy, leading to necrosis of tissue. Decreased oxygen supply to tissue (ischemia) is caused by a blockage in an artery mainly from an embolism. An embolism is the breakage of an atherosclerosis formed in any coronary arteries. This floats freely in the blood stream, which eventually may plug a major artery in the brain (stroke), heart (MI) or lungs (lung failure). A thrombus occurs when an already

Given the high risk of severe, debilitating health outcomes imaging a patient with suspected stroke in a timely fashion is paramount. When the timing of the stroke onset is determinable this allows for the appropriate form of treatment to be administrated such as thrombolytic therapies and neurointerventional techniques (González, 2012).

Sometimes atherosclerosis occurs in the carotid arteries, especially at the bifurcation or the point where the common carotid divides into the internal and external carotids. Atherosclerosis means that a potentially dangerous plaque has formed on the artery wall. Plaque is a sticky material made of fat and calcium which hardens the arteries and can block the flow of blood. This narrowing is sometimes called a carotid artery stenosis, meaning that the carotid artery has narrowed significantly.

1. Every 40 seconds someone in the United States has a stroke (National Stroke Association, 2014). Some symptoms related with a stroke are headache, blurred vision, trouble speaking, confusion, dizziness and numbness on one side of body. These symptoms are very important to know. Due to how common strokes are it's good to know the warning signs. For every person that dies from stroke, more than 5 times that many will survive, and for them the physical damage it causes can be enormous (National Stroke Association, 2014). Most people who have a stroke are depressed after it's all said and done. They may be paralyzed on one side, have a speech impairment or worse. When you are used to living a certain way and that suddenly changes it can be hard for people to deal with.

The carotid arteries are the two main arteries on either side of the neck. They supply blood to the brain. Carotid artery disease, also called carotid artery stenosis, is the narrowing or blockage of one or both carotid arteries. Carotid artery disease increases your risk for a stroke or a transient ischemic attack (TIA). A TIA is an episode in which a waxy, fatty substance that accumulates within the artery (plaque) blocks blood flow to the brain. A TIA is considered a "warning stroke."

Though, hemorrhagic strokes are different. Symptoms of a subarachnoid hemorrhage include severe headache that begins suddenly, vomiting, nausea, stiff neck, light intolerance and loss of consciousness. An intracranial hemorrhage may exhibit extreme hypertension, loss of consciousness, paralysis (especially on one side of the body), seizure, vomiting, severe nausea, altered mental state weakness, numbness, severe or sudden headache.

The symptoms of a stroke include the following: numbness, confusion, trouble walking and seeing, and severe headaches. The most common signs to watch for are: facial weakness, arm weakness, and speech difficulties. If even just one of these signs are true, 911 must be contacted. Early action can minimize brain damage and potential complications.

Cerebral Stroke continues to be a leading cause of long-term disability and even death in many countries. 3 Cerebrovascular diseases include ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, and cerebrovascular anomalies such as arteriovenous malformations and intracranial aneurysm; however, the majority of strokes are ischemic by nature. 3 Strokes result from the occlusion of a major cerebral artery by an embolism or thrombus, which ultimately leads to loss of blood flow to the affected region and causes an abrupt onset of a neurological deficit. 5 Neurological symptoms manifest within seconds because the neurons lack glycogen, causing malfunction in the conductance of electrical signals to certain areas of the body. 5 Cessation of blood flow to the head that lasts for more than a few minutes can cause infarction to the brain tissue. 2,5

Referred to (Ignatavicius and Workman, 2015b). the warning symptoms of stroke, depend upon the vascular territory involved, are five main symptoms; (1) sudden weakness, paralysis, or numbness of the face, arm and the leg on one or both sides of the body, (2) loss of speech, or difficulty speaking or understanding speech, (3) dimness or loss of vision, particularly in only one eye, (4) unexplained dizziness (especially when associated with other neurological symptoms), unsteadiness, or sudden falls, and (5)

Cerebrovascular Accident or stroke is considered a cardiovascular disease. It is a blockage from either thrombosis or and embolism or hemorrhage in the vessels of the brain. They are mostly caused by an embolus -a small particle of a clot that has broken off and traveled up the carotid artery and lodges in a vessel in the brain. When this happens, oxygen is cut off to that part of the brain causing death of the surrounding tissue. (loffelur & Hart, 2015)

The clinical manifestations include; bulging fontanels, high pitched cry, head circumference is larger than chest circumference, sac like projection on lumber spine, cry when your stroke is fingers and toes, sensory impairment, delay in developmental growth, eyes depressed and rotated downward, sluggish pupils, and structural malformations cause by intracranial pressure (Perry, Hockenberry, Lowdermilk, & Wilson, 2014, p. 1455).

Cerebrovascular diseases have a major impact on morbidity and mortality worldwide. Studies have shown that correcting carotid artery stenosis, a major cause of neurological disease, improves quality of life and increases survival time for patients. At present, effective carotid artery procedures are widely applied for symptomatic patients. According to suggestions by the American College of Cardiology Foundation and the American Heart Association in their 2011 management guidelines in extra-cranial carotid and vertebral artery disease patients, carotid artery stenting has a role as an alternative treatment in symptomatic patients who unsuitable for carotid endarterectomy (recommendation Class I, Level of Evidence: B). When the internal carotid artery stenosis is measured to be more than 70% by noninvasive imaging or more than 50% by catheter angiography, the anticipated rate of peri-procedural stroke and mortality is less than 6%1 for carotid stenting, which is comparable to carotid endarterectomy.