Know Your Options For The Prevention of Stroke

If you are at risk of getting a stroke or you've experience stroke or TIA before, it is a good idea that you consult your physician about it. Inquire if you could get the various tests to diagnose or screen your risk of getting a stroke. Screen or diagnostic tests would also give you an idea what kind of stroke you had and what was the root cause of your stroke.

Ways to Diagnose Stroke
Stroke prevention physicians or healthcare givers adopt various examinations or tests to screen or diagnose stroke or TIA. These tests include:

a. Physical examination. Physicians would often check if you are at risk of getting a stroke. People who are at risk for stroke are those people diagnosed with hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol or elevated amino acid homocysteine levels. The physician may also listen to irregular or abnormal heart beats and sounds.

b. Laboratory tests. There are various laboratory procedures that screen out patients and give diagnostic laboratory results. Some of these laboratory tests include carotid ultrasonography, arteriography, computerized tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and echocardiography.

What are the Different Stroke Treatments?

It is very important that people receive prompt treatment for stroke. Treatment, however, would depend on the kind of stroke. There are two kinds of stroke and they are caused by different factors. The stroke treatment, therefore, would differ as well.

To treat ischemic stroke, the physician would have to remove obstructions in the brain in order to restore the brain's normal blood flow. Once a person shows symptoms of ischemic stroke, clot removal drugs would have to be given to the patient intravenously within three hours. Prompt stroke treatment would give the patient better chances of recovery.

Surgical procedures are also recommended for treatment of ischemic stroke. These procedures include carotid endarterectomy, angioplasty and other procedures.

Preventive medications are also given especially if the patient has already suffered a stroke. These medications include anti-platelet drugs and anticoagulants.

In order to treat hemorrhagic stroke, surgery procedures may be recommended. These procedures include aneurysm clipping, coiling or aneurysm embolization and surgical AVM removal.

Stroke Treatment Post-Surgery
People who underwent surgery procedures because of stroke are required to undergo post-surgery treatment. This stroke treatment includes rehabilitation. Patient's rehab would depend on the type of stroke and the area of the brain that was affected. It would also take into consideration the severity of damage to the tissues. Post-operation treatment requires the coordinated efforts of various people to help the patient get back on his feet. Usually, the patient's physiatrist, nurse, dietician, physical and occupational therapist, recreational therapist, speech therapist, psychiatrist, social worker and even his chaplain would work together to help stroke recovery. The post-surgery stroke treatment is designed to help the patient gain back his independence. It is geared towards helping the patient relearn all his skills like walking and talking.

Future of Stroke Treatment
Studies are being done to develop drugs that would dissolve clots faster. These drugs could be administered intravenously or directly into the clogged brain artery. This is considered to be a rather aggressive type of treatment. Stroke medication designed to slow down brain cells degeneration are also being developed. Nothing is still perfect but there are high hopes for stroke treatment.