Overview Globally, stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in Western countries after cancer and heart disease. There are several ways in which stroke and heart disease interrelate . Cardiogenic stroke occurs when (1) clots embolize from the heart…
Anatomy The two vertebral arteries merge at the pontomedullary junction to form the basilar artery (BA). This artery lies within the prepontine cistern and is the main stem of the posterior circulation. It directly supplies a large territory of vital…
Vascular Anatomy The vertebral arteries (VAs) originate from the most proximal portion of the subclavian arteries (SAs) and constitute the birthplace of the so-called posterior circulation. An important feature of the SA system is that the right artery originates from…
Introduction Diseases of the subclavian and innominate artery are rare entities that impact less than 5% of the population. Limited data are available to describe their prevalence and natural history, and current knowledge is derived predominantly from case reports and…
Introduction In many respects, strokes involving the posterior circulation parallel those of the anterior circulation. Ischemic infarcts may be due to atherothrombosis of large arteries, lacunes from occlusion of small penetrating arteries, or embolism from either the heart or proximal…
Introduction Numerous pathological processes affect the cervical and intracranial carotid artery. The most common and widely studied is atherosclerosis of the cervical carotid artery. Atherosclerosis of the intracranial carotid arteries has the same pathophysiological basis and can present with similar…
Introduction Ischemic brain infarctions involving the anterior circulation are by far the most common type of ischemic stroke due to the relative amount of blood that flows to this area as opposed to the posterior circulation. Mechanisms causing anterior circulation…
Introduction Two Different Subtypes of Small Artery Occlusive Diseases Small artery occlusive diseases, known as lacunar stroke, constitute approximately 25% of ischemic strokes and are particularly frequent among Hispanics and Asians. C. Miller Fisher performed detailed clinicopathological examinations and described…
Acknowledgment Thanks to Li-An Ho for the illustrations. Introduction Stroke is typically defined as the sudden onset of a neurologic deficit caused by vascular abnormalities. There are two main categories: (1) ischemia (infarction)—restricted blood flow due to vascular stenosis/occlusion and…
The most common temporary focal neurological events are transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), migrainous accompaniments, seizures, and functional psychogenic episodes . Transient Ischemic Attacks A TIA is defined as a transient episode of neurological dysfunction caused by focal brain, spinal cord,…