Overview of Neurovascular Disorders
When blood supply to the brain or spinal cord is interrupted, a neurovascular disorder can develop. The condition can be life-threatening.
Neurovascular Disorders can include:
- Brain aneurysms: This is when a bulge or "balloon" forms in a blood vessel in the brain.
- Brain vascular malformations: Abnormal formation of blood vessels in the brain can cause disorders such as arteriovenous malformation, dural arteriovenous malformation, cavernous malformation or developmental venous anomaly.
- Carotid atherosclerosis: The build up of fats and cholesterol in the artery that carries blood from the heart to the brain.
- Moyamoya disease: A rare disorder in which the carotid artery in the skull becomes blocked or narrowed.
- Stroke: This can occur when blood to the brain is reduced or blocked.
Community Regional Medical Center is certified as a Primary Stroke Center and has earned the Gold Seal of Approval™ from The Joint Commission, the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare.
Tests
To help diagnose a neurovascular condition, your doctor may order a number of tests, including:- Angiogram: An angiogram is a test that uses X-rays to check the blood vessels for damage. Dye is injected into the vessels through a catheter, allowing them to be visible on the X-rays.
- Computerized tomography (CT) scan: A CT scan uses X-rays to create detailed images of the inside of the body.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): An MRI is a safe and painless test that uses radio waves and magnets to create a detailed view of the inside of the body.
- Electroencephalogram (EEG): This test can detect problems in the electrical activity of the brain. Brain cells communicate using electrical impulses. An EEG records the electrical activity of your brain via electrodes attached to your scalp.
- Other tests: including CT or MR angiography, or cerebrovascular reserve testing with CT or MRI.
Treatments
Before deciding on a course of treatment for you, we'll take into account your specific diagnosis and other factors to come up with an option that best fits your individual needs. We use a multi-disciplinary approach, which means bringing in experts from various fields and divisions to come up with a plan of treatment.Generally, treatment for a neurovascular condition may include any of the following:
- Aneurysms: endovascular coiling and/or stenting, craniotomy and neurosurgical clipping, bypass surgery.
- Brain vascular malformations: endovascular embolization, craniotomy and resection, stereotactic radiation.
- Moyamoya disease: extracranial to intracranial bypass (typically superficial temporal artery to middle cerebral artery bypass).
- Carotid artery stenosis: carotid stenting, carotid endarterectomy
- Intracerebral hemorrhage: minimally invasive evacuation, craniotomy and removal.
- Ischemic stroke: endovascular thrombectomy, decompressive hemicraniectomy.
Plus, these additional treatments may be included in your care:
- Medication: This can include antiplatelet drugs, anticoagulant drugs, antiepileptic drugs and medications to control risk factors for stroke (blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes).
- Physical and occupational therapy: Physical therapy can also help manage movement problems often associated with multiple sclerosis.
- Speech therapy: Led by certified speech language pathologists, services are available for patients who are having difficulty communicating verbally, concentrating and expressing thoughts, or swallowing.
- Stereotactic Radiosurgery: We use the the CyberKnife® stereotactic radiosurgery system, a revolutionary piece of equipment that delivers a concentrated dose of radiation to lesions deep within the body without open surgery.
