5th Annual Conference on Stroke and Neurological Disorders

Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide, and high blood pressure (BP) is the most important treatable factor that increases a person’s risk of having a stroke. Stiffness of the blood vessels supplying the brain (arterial stiffness), possibly due to long-standing raised BP, is also likely to be a factor that increases stroke risk. Such increased arterial stiffness results in the blood flow through these vessels being more pulsatile (throbs faster) than usual, and this increased pulsatility can be assessed by an ultrasound scan. This research is focused on assessing the relationship between the pulsatility of the blood flow through the blood vessels supplying the brain, and the risk of stroke in patients who have already had a stroke or “mini-stroke” in the past, and in particular to see if this relationship can be explained by raised BP alone. The Oxford Vascular Study (OXVASC) recruits all patients with stroke or “ mini-stroke ” from a single population,...

Early Brain Injury (EBI) is a recent concept that looks at overall brain injury after Subarachnoid Haemorrhage (SAH) There have been a number of recent articles indicating that the pathophysiologic consequences of an aneurysmal  SAH lead not only to vasospasm but also to a global ischemic injury to the brain. This is a significant move away from the previous theories of vasospasm as being the main consequence of SAH, leading to neurologic deficits. Furthermore, it should be pointed out that EBI may be the primary cause of mortality in SAH patients. Therefore, it seems that EBI should be considered a primary target for future research. EBI occurs as a result of the impact of an aneurysmal SAH on the brain. A number of key factors occur, including elevation of intracranial pressure, reduction of cerebral blood flow, suppression of cerebral perfusion pressure, fall in brain oxygenation, blood-brain barrier breakdown, brain oedema, and neuronal cell death. For an in-depth revi...

Until recently, recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (r-tPA) was the only acute ischemic stroke treatment. However, only 4–8% of patients with ischemic stroke truly receive r-tPA, in part due to the limited time window for treatment. In 2008, the ECASS-3 trial prolonged the window for r-tPA eligibility from 3 to 4.5 hours after symptom onset, with additional exclusion criteria which increased r-tPA utilization by as much as 20% in some centres. In 2015, the introduction of advanced endovascular treatment methods further expanded this treatment window to select patients to up to 7 hours from symptom onset. Rapid assessment of suspected stroke patients to regulate eligibility for these treatments, therefore, remains a critical step. Systems and courses to efficiently identify suspected stroke patients as early as possible and quickly deliver acute reperfusion therapy are now commonplace. Further technological advances using tele-stroke and mobile stroke units in the prehospi...

Every five minutes, someone in the UK has a stroke. While most people affected are over 65 anyone can have a stroke – at any age. After a stroke, survivors can be left with long-term problems that can affect all aspects of their life. A stroke is a serious, life-threatening medical situation that happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. Strokes are a medical emergency and urgent treatment is essential because the sooner a person receives treatment for a stroke, the less harm is likely to happen. Like other organs of the body, the brain also needs the nutrients and oxygen provided by blood to function properly. If the supply of blood is stopped or restricted, brain cells begin to die. This can lead to brain injury, disability and ultimately leads to death. The treatment of a stroke depends on the type of stroke you have, as well as which part of the brain was affected and what caused it. Most often, strokes are treated with medication. This normally incl...