Clinical and radiological observation of stroke cases in the emergency department of a university hospital

Abstract

Stroke is an important cause of mortality and morbidity. In our study, the accuracy relationship of the radiological imaging methods within themselves, together with the existing risk factors of stroke patients diagnosed in the emergency department, and their mortality status were examined. This study was conducted with 252 patients. The patients' ages and sexes, clinical features, arterial blood pressure and laboratory findings, history of diseases, vascular imaging methods, thrombolytic therapy applications, length of stay, and mortality rates were examined retrospectively. There was no statistical difference between stroke types and age and sex (p=0.73, p=0.53). While 65 patients had a recurrent stroke, male patients were dominant in this group (p=0.00). Hypertension was the most common comorbid disease with a frequency of 64.4%. Hemiparesis, speech disorder, headache, and hypoesthesia symptoms were prominent symptoms in patients with ischemic stroke, while changes in consciousness were the most prominent symptom in patients with hemorrhagic stroke (p=0.00). In 90.9% of the 59 patients who underwent both doppler ultrasonography (USG) and angiography examinations, doppler USG determined cases without 70% and higher stenosis as significant. The length of intensive care unit stay for hemorrhagic stroke was significantly longer (p=0.03), and the mortality rates of patients with 70% and higher stenosis and undergoing digital subtraction angiography (DSA) were found to be significantly higher (p=0.01). We observed that doppler USG was not an adequate method in detecting significant stenoses (70% and higher), but it was an important examination method for showing cases without significant stenosis. Furthermore, the longer length of intensive care unit stay in patients with hemorrhagic stroke and the higher mortality rate in patients with 70% and higher stenosisand undergoing interventional angiography are other important results