Dr. Sampreeth Mathew

A stroke may be called a brain attack. It may happen to any person at any time. A stroke occurs when blood supply to the brain is cut off. The brain cells become oxygen deprived due to the stroke and eventually die. Dead brain cells result in brain dysfunction due to which patients lose control over muscle and memory.

Strokes can be mild to life threatening and requires immediate medical attention. Stroke requires advanced care and should be treated by extensively qualified and experienced medical experts. 

Neurosurgery satisfies all the required clauses for treatment of stroke and accounts for being one of the best ways for management of stroke. Renowned hospitals have a dedicated neurosurgical wing and a team of neurological specialists who know how to deal with stroke the best.

Vascular Neurology
This form of neurology focuses on patients who have undergone a stroke or have experienced symptoms of stroke. A multidisciplinary approach is taken for the prevention of recurrent cerebrovascular conditions.

Types of stroke

1. Ischemic stroke: This kind of stroke occurs when there is a blockage in a blood vessel, which supplies blood to the brain. This form of stroke is the more common. The underlying cause of this stroke is known as atherosclerosis, which is a condition where fatty deposits occur in the walls of the blood vessels and cause blockage in them.
2. Hemorrhagic stroke: This type of stroke occurs when a blood vessel gets weak and ruptures into the brain. This is caused by two types of weak blood vessels known as aneurysm and arteriovenous malformation.
3. Transient ischemic attack: This type of stroke is also known as a mini stroke. These attacks occur because of blood clots. The blockage caused is temporary or transient in nature.

Treatment of Ischemic stroke

1. Tissue Plasminogen Activator: This is one of the best ways to treat ischemic strokes. This medicine is given to the patient intravenously. It dissolves the blood clot and improves blood flow to the area of the brain which is affected. The medicine should be given within three to four hours after stroke symptoms appear.
2. Endovascular procedure: This is a process by which the blood clot is removed using a catheter, which gets inserted into the area of the blocked blood vessel. It helps in restoring blood flow to that area. 

Treatment of Hemorrhagic stroke

1. Endovascular procedure: Several endovascular techniques and methods are used so that the weakening of blood vessels is reduced and less bleeding is caused.
2. Surgical treatment: Different modes of neurosurgery may be undertaken to stop bleeding and for relieving pressure within the skull.

Clipping (Surgery) in Aneurysm Treatment

Clipping is a surgery performed to treat an aneurysm — a balloon-like bulge of an artery wall. The choice of aneurysm treatment (observation, surgical clipping or bypass, or endovascular coiling) must be weighed against the risk of rupture and the overall health of the patient. Because clipping involves the use of anesthesia and surgically entering the skull, patients with other health conditions or who are in poor health may be treated with observation or coiling.

Clipping may be an effective treatment for the following:

Ruptured aneurysms burst open and release blood into the space between the brain and skull. The risk of repeated bleeding is 35% within the first 14 days after the first bleed. So, timing of surgery is important - usually within 72 hours of the first bleed. Vasospasm is a common complication of SAH, which must be closely managed after treatment to prevent stroke.

Unruptured aneurysms may not cause symptoms and are typically detected during routine testing. People with a family history of brain aneurysms should have a screening test (CT or MR angiogram). The risk of aneurysm rupture is about 1% per year but may be higher or lower depending on the size and location of the aneurysm. However, when rupture occurs, the risk of death is 40%, and the risk of disability is 80%.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

‘Asthma’ is a serious expiratory disorder, whereby, the patient faces difficulty in breathing or dyspnoea due to various factors such as allergies, bronchial infection, anxiety or stress and occupational hazards. In all the cases, it leads to excessive bronchial spasm and mucus accumulation, plugging the bronchial which leads to paroxysms and the patient starts panting heavily. But it is completely chronic without any complications.

Although allopathic measures such as inhalers and steroids can temporarily help to control the situation, yet, homeopathy has proved even more useful for asthma as the treatment is completely natural and does not carry the uncertainty of side effects like the steroids. It not only helps to reduce the intensity of spasms, but also, tries to cure the actual cause of asthma itself. Consequently, after a complete and proper treatment of asthma with homeopathy for a couple of months, it has been found, that the patients are living a happy life without any sign of the disease. Given below are the various homeopathic medicines used for curing asthma:

1. Arsenic Album – This medicine comes into rescue when the patient is extremely restless, unable to sit or stand comfortably, feels extremely thirsty but is unable to drink too much water, feels suffocated with pain in upper-right chest. Arsenic Album is said to have provided great relief to such patients.

2. Ipecac – When a patient suffers from vomiting and nausea during these asthmatic attacks, this medicine can prove very useful, especially in children and adults who are a little fat.

3. Antim Tart – One of the effective medicines for asthma accompanied by rattling cough caused due to eating making the patient feel very weak and sleepy. This medicine is generally suitable for old people and children.

4. Nux Vomica – This medicine helps patients who suffer from gastric problems due to asthma causing headache and epigastric pain in the stomach region.

5. Carbo Veg – This medicine helps in cases where asthmatic attacks make the patient’s face blue and also cause coldness of hands and feet.

Although above medicines are very effective, yet, they should always be taken strictly under doctor’s guidance.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!