According to the official definition of the World Health Organization (WHO), stroke corresponds to a “sudden onset of signs and/or symptoms referable to local and/or global deficits in brain function, lasting more than 24 hours or with an inauspicious outcome, not attributable to any other apparent cause than cerebral vasculopathy.”
Because of the severity of its manifestations, the immediate and distant clinical relapses it can lead to, and its potential lethality, stroke should always be considered a medical emergency to be treated promptly in facilities equipped and organized to offer targeted and specific interventions in the shortest possible time, that is, in Stroke Units.
Ischemic stroke (also known as “cerebral infarction” or stroke) is related to the formation within a cerebral artery of a clot or embolus, the latter often cardiac-derived, which prevents blood flow and, therefore, the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the portion of the brain supplied by that artery and its branches.
It is the most common form of stroke, accounting for about 85% of cases.
