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Stroke Quiz
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Which type of stroke is the most common?
- A Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis You picked ✕
- B Ischaemic stroke due to arterial occlusion You picked ✓
- C Subarachnoid haemorrhage due to aneurysmal rupture You picked ✕
- D Intracerebral haemorrhagic stroke due to vessel rupture You picked ✕
- E Ischaemic stroke due to systemic hypoperfusion You picked ✕
Correct!
Incorrect
The answer is B: Ischaemic stroke due to arterial occlusion
Explanation
Why B is correct
See Types of Stroke. Option B is correct. A stroke is a sudden loss of blood supply to part of the brain, and there are two main types. Ischaemic stroke is the commonest, accounting for around 85% of strokes. A clot blocks an artery, so the brain tissue beyond it is starved of oxygen and glucose and begins to die (infarction means death of tissue from lack of blood supply). The clot has often formed elsewhere in the body, such as in the heart in atrial fibrillation, and travelled to the brain, which is called a thromboembolism. Haemorrhagic stroke makes up about 15% and occurs when a vessel bursts and bleeds, either starving the area beyond it or raising pressure in the skull. This difference matters because treatment is opposite: clot-busting and clot-preventing treatment for ischaemic stroke would be harmful in a bleed, which is why a CT head scan is done urgently to rule out haemorrhage. Memory aid: ischaemic is 85%, haemorrhagic is the remaining 15%.
- Ischaemic stroke: the commonest type at around 85%, in which a clot blocks an artery and the tissue beyond it dies.
- Haemorrhagic stroke: about 15%, in which a vessel bursts and bleeds.
- Why it matters: treatment is opposite, so a CT head scan is done urgently to rule out haemorrhage.
Why the other options are incorrect
- A. Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis: Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis is a clot in a vein, which affects drainage rather than arterial supply. It is uncommon compared with arterial stroke. Your answer
- C. Subarachnoid haemorrhage due to aneurysmal rupture: A subarachnoid haemorrhage is bleeding around the brain, commonly from an aneurysm. It is a bleed, not a blockage, and is much less common. Your answer
- D. Intracerebral haemorrhagic stroke due to vessel rupture: An intracerebral haemorrhage is caused by a vessel rupturing, not by a clot blocking an artery. Haemorrhagic strokes make up only about 15% of strokes. Your answer
- E. Ischaemic stroke due to systemic hypoperfusion: This is a watershed infarction caused by a drop in global cerebral blood flow, rather than a clot blocking an artery. It is less common than thromboembolic arterial occlusion. Your answer
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1
Which artery is the main supplier of the lateral surface of the cerebral hemisphere, including much of the primary motor and sensory cortices?
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2
Which statement best defines a transient ischaemic attack?
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