Stroke Treatment

Forsyth Stroke and Neurovascular Center offers comprehensive stroke care using the most advanced treatments available today. Our center is staffed by stroke specialists on-call 24 hours a day, including neurointerventional radiologists, neurosurgeons, neurologists, emergency medicine physicians and stroke nurses. We also feature a neurological intensive care unit and a 36-bed stroke unit specialized for the unique needs of stroke patients. A complete stroke rehabilitation program is also offered.

Treatment for stroke is most effective when started immediately. If you or someone you know experiences stroke symptoms, call 911 immediately.

Emergency Stroke Treatments

• Clot-busting drugs: Medications that dissolve clots are called thrombolytic agents and are commonly known as "clot busters." One type of agent used is tissue plasminogen activator, or t-PA. These drugs have the ability to help reduce the damage to brain cells caused by the stroke. In order to be most effective, these agents must be given within three hours of stroke symptom onset by vein or within six hours by artery.
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  Treatments to control or reduce brain swelling: Corticosteroids and special types of intravenous (IV) fluids are often used to help reduce or control brain swelling, especially after a hemorrhagic stroke (a stroke caused by bleeding into the brain).

Medications to help protect the brain from ischemia (lack of oxygen)

Medications of this type are called neuroprotective agents. These agents are being studied in national clinical trials and are available at Forsyth.

Medications Used to Treat or Prevent Stroke

• Prevent additional blood clots: Medications that help to prevent additional blood clots from forming are called anticoagulants, as they prevent the coagulation of the blood.
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  educe the chance of blood clots by preventing platelets (a type of blood cell) from sticking together
• Treat existing medical conditions such as diabetes, heart or blood pressure problems: Prescriptions to treat conditions that increase stroke risk, such as diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, should be taken according to physician instructions. This will help reduce the risk of stroke and minimize the severity of injury from a stroke.

Surgical Procedures to Prevent and Treat Stroke

• Carotid Endarterectomy: This procedure is used to remove plaque and clots from the carotid arteries located in the neck that supply the brain with blood from the heart. Endarterectomy may help prevent a stroke from occurring.
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  Craniotomy: A craniotomy is a type of surgery available for critically ill stroke patients. It is performed in the brain to remove blood clots and treat brain swelling related to strokes.

Procedures For Conditions That Look Like Stroke

These include aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) and TIAs (or mini-strokes).

• Surgery to repair aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations: An aneurysm is a weakened, ballooned area on an artery wall that has a risk for rupturing and bleeding into the brain. An AVM is a congenital (present at birth) or acquired disorder that consists of a disorderly, tangled web of arteries and veins that also presents the risk of rupturing and bleeding into the brain. Surgery may be helpful in preventing a stroke from occurring.
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  Stenting and Coiling: Stenting is useful when the patient has failed to improve using conventional therapy. On rare occasions, stenting and coiling can be used to treat other blood vessel problems such as an aneurysm inside the head. In these cases, stents are typically used as adjunctive treatment along with coils to block flow from entering an aneurysm.