Understanding Stroke
How is Stroke
Diagnosed and Managed?
Acute Stroke Unit
Patients presented with acute stroke symptoms are usually directly admitted and managed in an Acute Medical Ward or Acute Stroke Unit by a multidisciplinary team including highly trained doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, dietitians and medical social workers.
Investigations
Investigations that doctors usually perform to confirm the diagnosis of a stroke include a CT and/or MRI scan of the brain and its related blood vessels.
Fig. MRI scanner
Fig. MRI scan of the brain and its supplying blood vessels
Ultrasounds are also often used to visualise the head and neck blood vessels to see if there is any significant blockage causing the stroke.
Fig. Transcranial Ultrasound
(ultrasound of the arteries within the brain)
Fig. Carotid Duplex Ultrasound
(ultrasound of the neck arteries supplying the brain)
Other tests often arranged to determine the cause of the stroke include tracings of the heart rhythm (electrocardiogram or prolonged rhythm monitoring for several days) and an ultrasound of the heart.
Fig. Devices to monitor the heart rhythm