New Screening Guidelines Expected to Decrease Stroke Risk

These guidelines will help reduce the death and disability rates associated with stroke by identifying carotid stenosis in a timely manner, allowing treatment before a stroke occurs. These guidelines were published in the January 2007 issue of the Journal of Neuroimaging.

About two million people living in North America and Europe are currently at risk for stroke and could considerably benefit from a thorough and effective screening procedure. "The guidelines will help to reduce the incidence of stroke through early detection in up to one-fifth of the high risk patients who undergo screening procedures as outlined,” stated Dr. Adnan I. Qureshi, professor of neurology, neurosurgery, and radiology, and associate head of department of neurology, at the Zeenat Qureshi Stroke Research Center, University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN, USA), and lead author of the guidelines.

Screening recommendations are provided for high-risk individuals in the general population; patients undergoing open heart surgery including coronary artery bypass surgery; patients with peripheral vascular diseases, abdominal aortic aneurysms, and renal artery stenosis; patients after radiotherapy for head and neck malignancies; patients following carotid endarterectomy, or carotid artery stent placement; patients with retinal ischemic syndromes; patients with syncope, dizziness, vertigo, or tinnitus; and patients with family history of vascular diseases and hyperhomocysteinemia.



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