Stroke Overview

Diagnosis

Your doctor will want to know about your medical history and your risk factors for stroke (hypertension, smoking, diabetes, certain types of heart disease, family history of stroke). Your doctor will examine you, paying specific attention to your blood pressure and your heart, and will perform a neurological examination.

To diagnose and classify your stroke, your doctor will require an imaging test of the brain. Several brain imaging tests can be useful, including a computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of your brain. Depending on the specific type of stroke suspected, your doctor also may do a lumbar puncture spinal tap that checks your cerebrospinal fluid for blood, or use tests such as Doppler ultrasonography or MRI angiography to evaluate blood flow to your brain.

If it is clear you are having a stroke, then your evaluation will include tests to check for a cause, such as atherosclerosis or other causes of blood clotting in the heart or large arteries. You may have a chest X-ray and a test called an electrocardiogram (EKG). Blood tests will be done to evaluate your blood cell counts and the ability of your blood to clot. Some patients may undergo ultrasound testing of the arteries in the neck (carotid Doppler) or of the heart (echocardiogram).

Expected Duration

If circulation to the brain is restored quickly, symptoms of stroke can improve within a few days. If the blood supply if interrupted for longer periods of time, brain injury can be more severe, symptoms can last for many months, and you may need physical rehabilitation. Permanent brain damage can cause permanent disability. Some patients, especially those with massive hemorrhagic stroke, die.