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Stroke Center News
Neuroimaging Found to Improve Prognosis on TIA and Stroke
For nearly a decade, neurologists have been debating how best to assess transient ischemic attacks (TIA) and determine the likelihood of a stroke. Is the resolution of symptoms within 24 hours — time-based criteria — sufficient? Will the presence or absence of brain infarction on CT or MRI — a tissue-based definition — provide a reliable prognosis? And how predictive are ABCD2 scores, a seven-point scale that assesses five clinical measures — including Age (60 years or older), Blood pressure, Clinical features of TIA, Duration, and Diabetes — in forecasting stroke risk after TIA? More
Study of COX-2 inhibitors could lead to new class of stroke drugs
A study, in mice, by investigators at the Stanford University School of Medicine points toward potential new therapies for stroke, the nation’s third-leading cause of death and foremost single cause of severe neurological disability. The study, published online Oct. 3 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, also may reveal why a much-heralded class of blockbuster drugs failed to live up to their promise. More
Scientists discover potential stroke treatment that may extend time to prevent brain damage
A naturally occurring substance shrank the size of stroke-induced lesions in the brains of experimental mice — even when administered as much as 12 hours after the event, Stanford University School of Medicine researchers have shown. The substance, alpha-B-crystallin, acts as a brake on the immune system, lowering levels of inflammatory molecules whose actions are responsible for substantial brain damage above and beyond that caused by the initial oxygen deprivation of a stroke. More
Lasting impressions: Nurse J.J. Baumann on comas and conversation
Every doctor and nurse carries at least one patient in his or her head — a memory of a difficult case, perhaps, or of a tragic outcome. And sometimes there’s a patient who simply touches the heart. This is one in an occasional series about the patients they carry. More
Novel Approaches for Improved Stroke Outcomes: Rapid Transfer System, Imaging, and New Devices
The typical scenario for stroke treatment relies heavily on the clock. Patients who arrive at the hospital within three hours of suffering a stroke are candidates to receive the clot-busting drug tPA if a CT scan rules out any bleeding in the brain. Patients who arrive between three and eight hours are often taken to the Cath lab to have their clot removed with a mechanical device. More
Stroke center enacts regional rapid-transfer system
When the 82-year-old woman arrived at Stanford's Emergency Department, a stroke had left her paralyzed and unable to speak. She immediately received a CT scan, and then was treated with tPA—tissue plasminogen activator, a clot-busting drug—to restore blood flow to her brain. That's routine at most hospitals. More
Time window for stroke treatment should be extended
Once symptoms start, there's only a tiny window of time for stroke victims to get life-saving treatment. Now, research from the School of Medicine has cracked that window open a bit wider.More
Buckwalter enjoys deciphering the mysteries of stroke
Eyes still dilated and blinded by the ambient light of her office, Marion Buckwalter had just raced over from her optometrist to meet with a student. Though she couldn't look through the microscope or read the latest neurology articles, she figured she could still talk with a student about her research project. More
Three medical school faculty to receive endowed professorships
The School of Medicine has recently named three faculty members to receive endowed professorships....Gregory Albers, MD, professor of neurology and neurological sciences, has been appointed the Coyote Foundation Professor. More
MRIs could save stroke victims from brain damage
A stroke victim arrives in the emergency room, and within minutes, the doctor must make a decision: Should drugs be administered to open up the blocked blood vessel and prevent further brain damage? Or is this patient at high risk for suffering a brain hemorrhage if the blocked vessel is opened? More
