‘Notable Advances' In Treatment Of Strokes
Notable advances in the understanding and treatment of strokes, made mainly in the United Kingdom and United States over the last few years, are being put to good effect in Christchurch hospitals, where there is also some investigational work, said a Christchurch physician.
“The intensive study of patients with strokes by physicians and radiologists has shown that, in many cases, a clot has formed not in a brain artery but In one of the arteries of the neck which supply the brain,” he said. “In certain suspected stroke cases in which it is desired to exclude any other cause, consultation will take place between physicians and radiologists to decide on the course to be taken in X-ray investigations. “In some cases, the injection of radio-opaque contrast material into one or both carotid arteries—the principal arteries in the neck—will show that one is blocked. In other cases, a needle
will be inserted into one of the femoral arteries where it passes through the thigh. Through the needle, a catheter will be passed up the aorta (main artery) into the chest, the catheter being about as thick as a pin. When the catheter is in position, radio-opaque material is injected through it and an X-ray picture taken immediately afterwards. This will show up both carotid arteries and also both vertebral arteries—the four which convey blood to the brain. A blockage may be found in any one of them.
“It might be thought the removal of a clot in one of these arteries must be of benefit. In a fully-developed stroke, however, this is not necessarily so. Many patients make a good natural recovery from such a stroke, and there is no reason to believe they would be any better for the removal of the clot. The mechanism of recovery would normally be the expansion of smaller arteries to by-pass the blockage. “The injection of radioopaque material is also useful in the diagnosis of clots after head injury.”
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30636, 30 December 1964, Page 11
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331‘Notable Advances' In Treatment Of Strokes Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30636, 30 December 1964, Page 11
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