Summary. An MRI can show signs of a stroke years or even decades after the stroke happens. Sometimes, a person may not know they had a stroke until a long time afterward. MRI is the most accurate way to view signs of stroke inside the brain, but a CT scan is often faster and more widely available.
Unlike a CT scan, which takes several hours to reveal any blockages of blood flow, an MRI can uncover any brain damage within an hour of the onset of the stroke symptoms. MRIs are also more accurate than CT scans since they are far more sensitive.
Abstract. Introduction: An infarct on brain MRI is often seen as gold standard when diagnosing ischemic stroke. Although MRI has high sensitivity in detecting a lesion shortly after ischemic stroke, this rapidly declines when time progresses.
Warning signs of an ischemic stroke may be evident as early as seven days before an attack and require urgent treatment to prevent serious damage to the brain, according to a study of stroke patients published in the March 8, 2005 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Usually, a silent stroke is discovered unexpectedly on a brain CT or brain MRI. These imaging tests can easily distinguish past strokes from recent strokes.
Yes, you can have a stroke and not know it. A stroke's effects can be undetectable if the stroke is small or if the tissue damaged does not serve a critical function. Evidence of the stroke would show on a CT scan or an MRI of the brain, but it might not produce symptoms.
That raises the question: Is there an early warning test for stroke? Yes and no. A test called the carotid ultrasound can detect the buildup of cholesterol-filled plaque in the carotid arteries in the neck. These arteries deliver blood to the brain.
Undiagnosed stroke or misdiagnosed stroke means delayed treatment or no treatment at all. This allows brain cell death to continue, and can quickly escalate to preventable permanent brain injury or death.
One of the most common stroke mimics is a seizure, which researchers believe account for as many as 20% of all stroke mimics. Other common stroke mimics include migraines, syncope, sepsis, brain tumor and metabolic derangement (low sodium or low blood sugar).
Some of the most common stroke mimics are seizures, migraine, fainting, serious infections and functional neurological disorder (FND).
Symptoms to Watch For
You likely won't know for certain that you have suffered a silent stroke without receiving a brain scan like an MRI or CT scan. After a silent stroke, a brain scan can show small white spots that indicate the presence of lesions.
An MRI can show signs of a stroke years or even decades after the stroke happens. Sometimes, a person may not know they had a stroke until a long time afterward. MRI is the most accurate way to view signs of stroke inside the brain, but a CT scan is often faster and more widely available.
An MRI can detect brain tissue damaged by an ischemic stroke and brain hemorrhages. Your doctor may inject a dye into a blood vessel to view the arteries and veins and highlight blood flow (magnetic resonance angiography or magnetic resonance venography).
Although conventional MRI sequences most often do not show evidence of stroke in the acute phase, conventional MRI may show signs of intravascular thrombus, such as absence of flow void on T2-WI, vascular hyperintensity on FLAIR, and hypointense vascular sign on gradient-recalled echo (GRE) sequence.
Some people will experience symptoms such as headache, numbness or tingling several days before they have a serious stroke. One study found that 43% of stroke patients experienced mini-stroke symptoms up to a week before they had a major stroke.
A person experiencing a TIA might feel sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body, have slurred speech, have trouble seeing or talking, and feel confused. The person may experience a combination of these symptoms at the same time. “The real takeaway?
There is no blood test that can diagnose a stroke. However, in the hospital, your doctor or nurse may do a series of blood tests to learn the cause of your stroke symptoms: Complete blood count (CBC).
In fact, ischemic strokes unfold over a period of 10 hours. That means that with every second you wait for treatment, the brain damage gets worse. If a stroke is untreated for the full 10 hours, the brain ages up to 36 years! With every minute you wait, the brain loses two million brain cells.
Numbness in arm, leg or both on one side. Speech difficulties, including slurring words, trouble finding words or understanding others. Severe headache (i.e., “worst headache of my life”) without any history or cause. Dizziness or balance problems.
How Does a Stroke Impact Life Expectancy? Despite the likelihood of making a full recovery, life expectancy after stroke incidents can decrease. Unfortunately, researchers have observed a wide range of life expectancy changes in stroke patients, but the average reduction in lifespan is nine and a half years.