When was stroke first discovered

Louis R. Caplan, MD. Access through your institution. Add or change institution. Save Preferences. Privacy Policy Terms of Use. Access your subscriptions. Free access to newly published articles. The left cerebral hemisphere controls movement of the right side of the body. Depending on the severity, a stroke affecting the left cerebral hemisphere may result in functional loss or motor skill impairment of the right side of the body, and may also cause loss of speech.

The right cerebral hemisphere controls movement of the left side of the body. Depending on the severity, a stroke affecting the right cerebral hemisphere may result in functional loss or motor skill impairment of the left side of the body. In addition, there may be impairment of the normal attention to the left side of the body and its surroundings.

A heart attack or stroke may occur when an area of plaque atherosclerosis ruptures and a clot forms over the location, blocking the flow of blood to the organ's tissues. Stroke is defined as a loss of brain function due to blocked blood circulation to the brain. Strokes may be caused by a narrowing, obstruction, or leak in the lining of the carotid. This leaking of blood into the artery wall dissection may cause a clot to form, reducing blood flow and raising the risk of a stroke.

The leak may arise from an injury to the neck, which means stroke secondary to carotid dissection may occur in young people as well as older people. When blood flow to an area of your brain stops, it's serious. It's called a stroke, and will often cause permanent, debilitating damage to your brain and change your life. Let's talk about strokes. If blood flow to your brain is stopped for longer than a few seconds, your brain can't get blood and oxygen.

Brain cells die, causing permanent damage. There are two types, ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke. Ischemic stroke happens when a blood clot forms in a very small artery, or when a blood clot breaks off from another artery and lodges in your brain. Hemorrhagic strokes can happen when a blood vessel in your brain becomes weak and bursts open. High blood pressure is the number one risk factor for strokes. People with atrial fibrillation, when your heart rhythm is fast and irregular, diabetes, a family history of stroke, and high cholesterol are most at risk.

You are also at risk for stroke if you are older than age Other risk factors include being overweight, drinking too much alcohol, eating too much salt, and smoking.

Symptoms of a stroke usually develop suddenly, without warning. You may have a severe headache that starts suddenly, especially when you are lying flat, often when you awake from sleep. Your alertness may suddenly change. You may notice changes in your hearing, your sense of taste, and your sense of touch. You may feel clumsy or confused or have trouble swallowing or writing. So, how are strokes treated? A stroke is a medical emergency. Immediate treatment might save your life and reduce disability.

Call your local emergency number -- or have someone call for you -- at the first sign of a stroke. Most of the time, someone having a stroke should be in the hospital within three hours after symptoms first begin.

If a doctor suspects you've had a stroke, the doctor will check for problems with your vision, movement, feeling, reflexes, and your ability to understand and speak. You may have several tests to check for blocked or narrowed arteries. If the stroke is caused by a blood clot, you'll be given a clot-busting drug to dissolve the clot. Treatment depends on how bad your stroke is and what caused it. But you will probably need to stay in the hospital for a few days.

Besides clot-busting drugs, called thrombolytics, you may need blood thinners, medicine to control high blood pressure, and surgery to unclog one of your carotid arteries-which carry blood to the brain.

After your stroke, treatment will focus on helping you recover as much function as possible, and preventing future strokes. US National Guidelines Clearinghouse. NICE Guidance. FDA on Ischemic stroke historical perspective. CDC on Ischemic stroke historical perspective. Ischemic stroke historical perspective in the news.

Blogs on Ischemic stroke historical perspective. Directions to Hospitals Treating Stroke. Risk calculators and risk factors for Ischemic stroke historical perspective. Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M. S [2]. The history of ischemic stroke dates back to BC when it was first described in one of the world's earliest medical document called the Edwin Smith papyrus, by one of the founder of egyptian medicine named Imhotep.

Susceptibility-weighted imaging SWI allows physicians to identify even the tiniest brain hemorrhages and diagnose an imminent stroke faster than before.

It offers insights into the circulation and functional physiology of the brain and is therefore also of interest for stroke evaluation. This dispenses with the time-consuming and labor-intensive process of transporting the patient from the ICU to the radiology department. Today, computed tomography CT can produce high-resolution 3D images that allow physicians to make a detailed assessment of the skull, the soft tissues of the brain, and the structures of the cerebral vessels Fig.

CT is routinely used in stroke diagnostics and can deliver automated results for the areas of the brain affected by the stroke Fig. Moreover, functional imaging helps physicians discern which areas of the brain can still be saved Fig. If less than 4.

On the other hand, cytotoxic edema — a condition caused by the death of neurons in the event of a stroke — can be imaged very effectively at an early stage see ellipse in left image using a technique known as diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. Lysis therapy is not suitable for every patient, however, and must be administered within a 4. Since approximately , it has also been possible to treat vascular occlusions using mechanical thrombectomy , a technique in which physicians pass a catheter into the groin and through the carotid artery in order to reach a blood clot that is blocking a cerebral blood vessel.

Mechanical thrombectomy gives physicians a window of 24 hours between the onset and treatment of stroke, and therefore more time than is the case with lysis. The sooner a patient is treated following the onset of symptoms, the greater chance they have of avoiding lasting impairment.

In a daring self-experiment, he inserts a rubber tube into his heart via a venous access point, thereby proving that cardiac catheter examinations are possible. Read the full story here. Source : Maria Schlumpf-Walker. While performing an angiogram on a patient with a narrowed renal artery, Charles Dotter accidentally dislodges the blockage with the catheter, allowing the blood to flow freely again.