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Query: UMLS:C0038454 (stroke)
 147,016 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

In 37 patients suspected of having a stroke 71 carotid bifurcations were explored by MR-angiography and by digital angiography the reference technique. A 3D sequence was acquired with the time-of-flight technique, using a transmitter-receiver cranial coil, followed by a strictly receiver Helmoltz coil on a 1 Tesla magnet. Two examiners evaluated the carotid bifurcations and measured the degree of stenosis in terms of diameters, according to the north american symptomatic carotid endarterectomy trial (NASCET). Five classes were established: class 1: normal; class 2: 1 to 29%; class 3: 30 to 69%; class 4: 70 to 99% and class 5: thrombosis. The results obtained in the determination of classes were identical with both coils: the coefficient of correlation with straight angiography were 0.973 with the cranial coil and 0.966 with the Helmoltz coil. Five stenoses were overestimated and classified as Class 3 instead of Class 2. The five stenoses greater than 70% (Class 4) showed a signal-void area at their level, due to severe dephasing induced by turbulences. Finally, there was a false-negative image of occlusion: the high-intensity signal of the thrombus was mistaken for one of flow. The data of our study were in accordance with the excellent results obtained by several authors in the literature, which makes it possible for us to propose this type of examination as a novel mean of investigating bifurcations of carotid arteries. Provided a strict technique is applied, and in addition to carotid bifurcation the Willis' circle and the cerebral parenchyma are explored, MR-angiography can complete the results of Doppler-echo. Standard arteriography could then be reserved to surgical patients and to those with discordant results of MR-arteriography and Doppler echo systems.
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PMID:[The evaluation of 3DFT time-of-flight MR-angiography versus angiography in the study of carotid atheromatous lesions with a review of the literature]. 863 3

The purpose was 1) To assess the prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) in elderly males with atherosclerosis and 2) to evaluate the value of physical exam (PE) by a vascular surgeon in detecting AAA. A total of ninety-six males older than 55 years referred to vascular surgery clinic with atherosclerotic disease were screened prospectively with PE by a vascular surgeon, followed by ultrasonography (US). Atherosclerosis was documented by ankle brachial index and duplex US. Patients who had recently undergone a vascular procedure, aortography, laparotomy, abdominal computed tomography, or US were excluded. Mean age was 67 years. Patients were 67 per cent Caucasian, 32 per cent black, and 1 per cent Hispanic. Presenting complaints were related to claudication (83%), carotid disease (19%), both (3%), and subclavian stenosis (1%). Patient characteristics included cigarette smoking (85%), hypertension (67%), cardiac disease (51%), diabetes (45%), stroke (18%), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (8%). One (1%) 3.7 cm AAA was detected by US. Sensitivity of PE was 100 per cent and specificity 92 per cent. Twenty-two (23%) patients were too obese for us to feel the aortic pulse. Screening cost was $14,250. The prevalence of AAA in this population is very low. AAA screening should be reserved for patients with a positive PE or who are too obese for the examiner to feel the aortic pulse.
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PMID:Abdominal aortic aneurysm screening in elderly males with atherosclerosis: the value of physical exam. 881 72

The best way to limit infarct size and improve survival in patients with early heart attacks is to restore as quickly as possible patency in the infarct-related artery and blood flow to the threatened myocardium. The value of thrombolytic therapy and aspirin has been shown in large clinical trials. A regimen of accelerated recombinant tissue plasminogen activator is more effective than those using streptokinase. In older patients, there is a greater risk of haemorrhagic stroke; nevertheless, thrombolytic treatment saves more lives because the mortality of myocardial infarction (MI) is higher. Thrombolytic therapy fails to restore blood flow sufficiently rapidly or completely in nearly one-fifth of patients. Its efficacy, therefore, has been compared with immediate or direct angioplasty (PTCA). If it can be done promptly enough, PTCA is superior in preventing recurrent ischaemia and the combined outcome of death or non-fatal reinfarction, and is associated with a lesser risk of intracranial haemorrhage. It may also be cheaper because patients spend less time in hospital and fewer of them require late revascularisation. PTCA should be considered for patients with cardiogenic shock or for those in whom there is a contraindication to thrombolytic therapy. The benefits of prompt treatment have been reduced by excessive delay in reaching hospital and door-to-needle time. After fibrinolysis, coronary angiography and PTCA may be reserved for those with spontaneous angina or exercise-induced ischaemia.
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PMID:Interventional management of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). 944 6

Carotid restenosis is defined as a new > 50% diameter-reducing lesion present in sites of previous surgery. The clinical aspects of this complication are strongly connected with their anatomopathologic evolution: fibromuscular hyperplasia in early recurrent disease, atherosclerotic degeneration in the later lesions. Routine postendarterectomy duplex surveillance is able to detect this pathologic evolution. On 570 surgically treated carotid artery a postoperative duplex surveillance was made at 3, 6, 12 months and then yearly. Totally 42 cases of recurrent stenosis (7.3%) were present: in seven cases (16.6%) with a complicated restenosis the patients were symptomatic. In 27 cases (64.2%) restenosis was < 75%, in 8 cases (19.2%) > 75%. Indication to surgery was given for all the complicated restenosis and for high grade stenosis (> 75%). In the 27 cases of restenosis < 75% a conservative therapy together with duplex surveillance was applied: in none of these cases the restenosis increased in an average follow-up of 13.7 months. In the reoperated cases we didn't observe any mortality nor postoperative stroke. With regard to their mainly hyperplastic origin, carotid restenosis are low symptomatic and with a quite benign evolution. Surgical reintervention is to be limited to the symptomatic cases and to the asymptomatic high grade stenosis cases. A particular attention should be reserved to the morphologic characteristics of the lesion in order to detect the atherosclerotic degeneration that might cause cerebral symptoms.
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PMID:[Carotid restenosis: clinical significance and indications for reintervention]. 949 80

Large trials have confirmed the benefit of carotid endarterectomy in the prevention of stroke in patients with transient ischaemic attacks and > or =70% stenosis of the ipsilateral internal carotid artery. Invasive confirmatory angiography carries some risk, but these patients can be identified by Doppler ultrasound. Non-invasive confirmatory testing with spiral computed tomographic angiography or magnetic resonance angiography is not easily available in many hospitals. In this study, criteria have been developed for use in this unit to identify significant carotid artery stenosis and enable selection for surgery after Doppler ultrasound alone, with known degrees of sensitivity, specificity and accuracy. Carotid arteriography is reserved for a minority of cases.
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PMID:Carotid stenosis in the real world--can Doppler ultrasound replace angiography in a district general hospital setting? 1054 90

A serum prolactin (PRL) level is obtained in response to a specific clinical presentation, including symptoms of hyperprolactinemia (such as amenorrhea and galactorrhea); serum PRL measurement may also be performed as part of an infertility evaluation. An initial level above the normal range should be followed by a repeat level from a blood sample drawn in the morning with the patient in a fasting state. The medical history and a few laboratory tests can eliminate the most common physiologic and pharmacologic causes of hyperprolactinemia, including pregnancy, primary hypothyroidism and treatment with drugs (such as neuroleptics) that reduce dopaminergic effects on the pituitary. In the absence of such causes, radiologic imaging of the sella turcica is necessary to establish whether a PRL-secreting pituitary adenoma or other lesion is present. The vast majority of patients are treated medically, with dopamine agonist drugs. Surgery is reserved for the patient with the uncommon tumor that does not respond to medical therapy or has a large cystic component or for the occasional patient who cannot tolerate dopamine agonists or who experiences pituitary apoplexy.
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PMID:Diagnostic evaluation of hyperprolactinemia. 1064 17

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a major independent risk factor for stroke. AF is most commonly associated with nonvalvular cardiovascular disease and is especially frequent among the elderly. The annual risk for stroke in patients with AF is approximately 5% with a wide range depending on the presence of additional risk factors. For patients who cannot successfully be converted and maintained in normal sinus rhythm (NSR), antithrombotic therapy is an effective method for preventing stroke. The 2 drugs which are indicated for stroke prophylaxis in patients with AF are warfarin and aspirin. For primary prevention, warfarin reduces the risk of stroke approximately 68%. Aspirin therapy is less effective, resulting in a 20 to 30% risk reduction. Combination therapy with aspirin and low intensity warfarin adjusted to an International Normalised Ratio (INR) of 1.2 to 1.5 has not been shown to be superior to standard intensity warfarin with a target INR of 2.0 to 3.0. In patients with AF and a prior history of stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA), the absolute risk reduction with warfarin is even greater because of the high risk of stroke in this population. In contrast, aspirin has not been shown to significantly reduce the risk of stroke in patients with AF when used for secondary prevention. When appropriately managed, warfarin is associated with a low risk of major bleeding. In controlled trials of highly selected patients, the annual rate of intracranial haemorrhage (ICH) with warfarin was approximately 0.3%. Studies have shown that specialty anticoagulation clinics can achieve similar low rates of major bleeding. However, these results cannot be extrapolated to the general population. Factors which have been identified as predictors of bleeding include advanced age, number of medications and most importantly, the intensity of anticoagulation. INR values above 4.0 have been associated with an increased risk of major bleeding while values below 2.0 have been associated with thrombosis. Slow careful dosage titration, regular laboratory monitoring and patient education can substantially reduce the risk of complications. In patients with AF, antithrombotic therapy has been shown to be cost effective. For high risk patients, warfarin is the most cost-effective therapy, provided the risks for bleeding are minimised. In contrast, aspirin is the most cost-effective agent for low risk patients. Current practice guidelines for stroke prophylaxis recommend warfarin (target INR 2.5: range 2.0 to 3.0) for AF patients at high risk for stroke including those over 75 years of age or younger patients with additional risk factors. Aspirin should be reserved for low risk patients or those unable to take warfarin. Although these recommendations are strongly supported by the clinical trial evidence, studies show that many patients are not receiving appropriate antithrombotic therapy. In particular, warfarin is underutilised in high risk elderly patients. Additional studies are needed to identify barriers that prevent implementation of the clinical trial findings into clinical practice.
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PMID:Guidelines for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation. 1065 87

Hypertension is currently defined in terms of levels of blood pressure associated with increased cardiovascular risk. A cut-off of 140/90 mm Hg is accepted as a threshold level above which treatment should at least be considered. This would give a prevalence of hypertension of about 20% of the adult population in most developed countries. Hypertension is associated with increased risk of stroke, myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, peripheral vascular disease and renal impairment. Hypertension results from the complex interaction of genetic factors and environmental influences. Many of the genetic factors remain to be discovered, but environmental influences such as salt intake, diet and alcohol form the basis of nonpharmacological methods of blood pressure reduction. Investigation of the individual hypertensive patient aims to identify possible secondary causes of hypertension and also to assess the individual's overall cardiovascular risk, which determines the need for prompt and aggressive therapy. Cardiovascular risk can be determined from (i) target organ damage to the eyes, heart and kidneys; (ii) other medical conditions associated with increased risk; and (iii) lifestyle factors such as obesity and smoking. Secondary causes of hypertension are individually rare. Screening tests should be initially simple, with more expensive and invasive tests reserved for those in whom a secondary cause is suspected or who have atypical features to their presentation. The main determinants of blood pressure are cardiac output and peripheral resistance. The typical haemodynamic finding in patients with established hypertension is of normal cardiac output and increased peripheral resistance. Treatment of hypertension should initially use nonpharmacological methods. Selection of initial drug therapy should be based upon the strength of evidence for reduction of cardiovascular mortality in controlled clinical trials, and should also take into account coexisting medical conditions that favour or limit the usefulness of any given drug. Given this approach, it would be reasonable to use a thiazide diuretic and/or a beta-blocker as first-line therapy unless there are indications to the contrary. Individual response to given drug classes is highly variable and is related to the underlying variability in the abnormal pathophysiology. There are data to suggest that the renin-angiotensin system is more important in young patients. The targeting of this system in patients under the age of 50 years with a beta-blocker (or ACE inhibitor), and the use of a thiazide diuretic (or calcium antagonist) in patients over 50 years, may enable blood pressure to be controlled more quickly.
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PMID:Pathoaetiology, epidemiology and diagnosis of hypertension. 1067 92

Carotid restenosis after endarterectomy is observed in up to 24.1% of patients with long-term follow up. Indication for reintervention in asymptomatic patients however should be reserved for greater than 80% stenosis. Treatment options include repeat surgical reconstruction as well as intraoperative or percutaneous balloon angioplasty +/- stenting. We compared our past experience with 66 operative reconstructions in 64 patients with a recent series of 60 patients who underwent intraoperative balloon-dilatation and stenting. After conventional surgery 2 patients (3.1%) suffered a permanent neurological deficit, one patient developed a TIA (1.5%). After intraoperative dilation and stenting 8 patients (13.3%) suffered a stroke; 2 patients died after surgery (one stroke, one myocardial infarction) (mortality 3.3%). When compared to conventional operative repair intraoperative carotid balloon angioplasty and stenting of restenosis is complicated by a substantial increase in morbidity and mortality and cannot be recommended as routine therapy.
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PMID:[Treatment of restenosis]. 1076 47

Balloon angioplasty has become a first-line therapy of symptomatic brachiocephalic occlusive disease. We review our own results of treatment of these lesions for the last two years. 16 patients (18 vessels--6 occlusions) with chronic limb ischaemia (9 cases), vertebrobasilar insufficiency (4 cases), ischemic stroke (2 cases); in one case angioplasty was performed as prevention before major abdominal surgery. Femoral approach was predominantly used; in 3 occlusions brachial approach was chosen. Stents were implanted in 4 cases of poor angioplasty result with severe limb ischaemia. Lesions were crossed in all stenoses and in 4 of 6 occlusions. Residual stenosis < 30% was attained in 10 pts. In 11 cases transstenotic gradient was relieved and a normal flow in vertebral artery was reestablished. There were two cases of acute upper limb ischaemia, one needed surgery. Reversible ulnar nerve paresis was noted in one patient, transient symptoms of postreperfusion syndrome in two. At follow up (mean 12 mo, range 1-30 mo) 1 restenosis was recorded. Balloon angioplasty is easy, safe and effective for treating brachio-cephalic stenoses. Recanalisation of occlusions is more difficult and risky. Treatment of stenoses should not be undully postponed; recanalisation should be reserved for patients with more advanced symptoms of the disease.
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PMID:[Balloon angioplasty of branches of the aortic arch]. 1094 85


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