| The main symptom of ischemic stroke is an | | | | leading to the brain is called an embolus. This |
| immediate or sub-acute occurrence of neurological | | | | vessel may be the carotid artery in the front of |
| deficits following prodromal symptoms. This kind | | | | the brain or the vertebral or basilar artery in the |
| of stroke usually attacks when the patient wakes | | | | back of the brain. A stroke caused by embolus is |
| up in the morning or when the person has no | | | | called an embolic stroke. An embolus tends to |
| physical activity. | | | | form in the heart because of some diseases, e.g. |
| Ischemic stroke occurs when a blood vessel in | | | | atrial fibrillation (irregular heart beat), atrial septal |
| the brain is blocked and blood flow is stopped. The | | | | defect (small hole in the heart chamber wall), and |
| blockage may be from a blood clot. A clot that | | | | acute myocardial infarction (heart attack). An |
| forms in artery is called a thrombus. A thrombus | | | | embolus occurs in the carotid artery because the |
| usually does not occur in healthy brain artery, but | | | | vessel was narrowed. |
| tends to form at or adjacent to an area of a | | | | The third form of ischemic stroke is called a |
| vessel damaged by atherosclerosis. A stroke | | | | lacunar stroke. This stroke results from occlusion |
| caused by thrombus in brain artery is called | | | | of arterioles (small arteries) that penetrate deep |
| cerebral atherothrombosis or atherothrombotic | | | | into the brain. The small size of the vessel |
| stroke. | | | | sometime makes lacunar stroke more difficult to |
| A clot that forms in the heart or a blood vessel | | | | diagnose than two types above. |