Causes of Acute Stroke

Determining the cause of an acute stroke is critical, because this guides patient management. Failure to accurately identify the cause for stroke impairs the clinician’s ability to deliver optimal, immediate, acute care and limits the precision with which longer-term therapies can be initiated to prevent stroke recurrence. Patterns on imaging, such as vascular territories affected, vessels involved, and secondary findings, can provide clues to the underlying cause. It is critical to understand these imaging patterns to suggest a cause or recommend further imaging to elucidate the underlying cause. Once large vessel, small vessel, and cardioembolic sources have been excluded, unusual causes should be considered.