Below are several stroke-related story ideas from UPMC Health System Stroke Institute. They may develop severe retinopathy because the eyes also are starved for oxygen and develop new blood vessels to compensate. They become sensitive to bright light and may not be able to go outside. They may have trouble walking and experience severe shaking of the limbs. Very similar to a heart bypass, neurosurgeons take an artery from the neck and move it to supply blood around the blockage and to the part of the brain that was starved for oxygen.
Symptoms improve dramatically after surgery.
Having hard data on blood flow in specific parts of the brain changes stroke management from educated guesswork to solidly based decision-making. The xenon CT is used acutely on stroke patients brought into the emergency department and also on patients who are not having a stroke but are at high risk for one. The patient lies in a standard CT scan and inhales xenon gas. Within minutes the xenon is taken up by the parts of the brain that are getting oxygen and doctors can see immediately which areas of the brain are getting oxygen and which areas are oxygen starved. This way they can locate precisely where the problem lies and act accordingly.