2011, Number 3
Evento vascular cerebral isquémico: hallazgos tomográficos en el Hospital General de México
Alba CJF, Guerrero AGML
Full text
Language: Spanish
References: 8
Page: 161-166
PDF size: 285.04 Kb.
ABSTRACT
Ischemic stroke is the third cause of death and the first cause of disability in industrialized countries. It is caused by a stop in the blood supply (and the resulting interruption in oxygen supply, mainly) to a region of the brain. This produces, ultimately, tissue necrosis with cytotoxic edema of the encephalon.Diagnosing an ischemic stroke requires physical examination and clinical studies such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR). CT is a method that helps to identify the early tomographic signs of ischemia.
The purpose of this study is to determine the incidence of ischemic stroke and identify tomographic changes over the first 24 hours after such events, all in patients at Hospital General de Mexico.
Material and methods. A longitudinal, retrospective study was conducted, which included female and male patients between 25 and 105 years of age, with suspected ischemic stroke referred to the Hospital General de Mexico Radiology and Image Unit’s Computed Tomography Department in the period from January 1 through June 30, 2011.
Results. In the period considered, a total of 386 patients were studied, of whom 80 were between 55 and 65 years of age and predominantly female. Of the total patients with ischemic stroke, 85 presented poor differentiation of gray and white matter. The site of greatest damage was the left parietal lobe (60 patients).
Discussion. Ischemic stroke is known to be the second cause of hospital death, predominant in males, and the risk factor is doubled from 55 years of age. It is a vital condition with a twilight period of up to 6 hours in which there is brain tissue that has not yet suffered infarction and is potentially recoverable by means of thrombolysis, which supports the saying: “time is brain”.
Conclusion. The technology to identify acute ischemic stroke has advanced in the last twenty years and computed tomography is an example of that. Hospital General de Mexico does not implement a tomographic protocol like in other developed countries due to the high demand for studies and the limited resources available to perform them. However, it is possible to offer adequate treatment for the affected population.
REFERENCES