There are far fewer treatment options for patients who are at risk for stroke—”brain attacks,” as some researchers call them—than there are for heart attacks.

Much of that has been due to the simple fact that the brain and how it functions remained one of medicine’s great mysteries compared to the heart. Advances in imaging techniques in recent years enabled doctors to see the brain quickly in an emergency.

Still, stroke prevention is not top-of-mind for most Americans in the way heart attack prevention is. That now can change. Stroke prevention and treatment is moving forward rapidly so pay attention, please. Saving lives and saving brain function is possible when stroke symptoms appear. The American Heart Association’s stroke symptom list tells you exactly what to look for. When in doubt, act. Call 911.

This study is the largest comparison of two procedures used to clear the arteries in the neck: stenting and surgery.

It is a big day when researchers can talk about treatment options for stroke prevention.

Doctors who are conscious of stroke prevention use their stethoscopes to check each side of the neck in routine exams now, which enables them to spot patients who may have some blockages in the arteries which go to the brain. A very simple step. An important one.

This research, says the WebMD story, was presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference.

WebMD

“A less invasive approach for clearing clogged neck arteries proved just as effective and safe as surgical treatment for preventing strokes in high-risk patients, according to the largest comparison of the two procedures.

“Stenting, in which flexible mesh tubes are used to prop open blocked blood vessels, is widely used to clear plaque-clogged coronary arteries, which cause heart attacks. More recently, it (stenting) has been used to open blocked neck arteries that lead to strokes, but surgery called carotid endarterectomy remains the gold standard. (The gold standard is the term used for what doctors consider the treatment against which all others are measured.)

“The new study shows that “we now have two good options for patients,” says researcher Wayne Clark, MD, of Oregon Health & Science University.

“The choice may come down to the individual patient’s age, health, and preferences, he tells WebMD. (Emphasis added)

Source: WebMD, February 26, 2010

Source: Meeting Presentation, American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference

Source: American Heart Association Stroke Symptom List