Dr Pradeep Balaji, Senior Consultant Neurosurgeon, Iswarya Hospital
This World Stroke Day, it's time to look beyond the golden hour -- and prevent the big stroke before it happens.
When we talk about stroke, most conversations -- whether in hospitals, media, or public campaigns -- revolve around what to do after a stroke strikes. The "golden hour," the 4-hour window for clot-busting drugs, or the 24-hour window for clot removal procedures, are now well known in cities. Campaigns like B.E. F.A.S.T. have taught many to rush to the ER when they see facial drooping, slurred speech, or weakness.
But here's a less discussed truth: nearly 80% of strokes are preventable. And in many patients, the brain gives warning signals -- a mini stroke or transient weakness -- days or weeks before the big one. This "pre-stroke" phase is where the real opportunity lies. Unfortunately, this is also where we currently miss the bus.
A Block is a Block -- Whether in the Heart or the Brain
When someone has chest pain, they rush to the hospital. A heart angiogram is done. A stent is placed if needed. Everyone understands that heart arteries can get blocked, and those blocks can be opened.
But did you know the same kind of blocks can happen in the arteries of the brain? These are called intracranial and extracranial atherosclerotic diseases -- cholesterol deposits that narrow the arteries supplying the brain, just like coronary artery disease.
The key difference is pain. The heart hurts, but the brain doesn't feel pain. So people ignore or miss the early signs. A brief episode of weakness, temporary loss of vision, or speech difficulty often passes unnoticed or is dismissed as "nothing serious." By the time the big stroke happens, the window for prevention has closed.
A Common but Under-recognized Problem in Asia
Stroke patterns differ across the world. In Western countries, blockages in the neck arteries (extracranial carotids) are the major culprits. In Asia, however, blockages inside the brain arteries (intracranial atherosclerotic disease, ICAD) are far more common.
ICAD accounts for 30-50% of ischemic strokes in Asian populations, compared to 5-10% in the West. Screening studies have found that up to 1 in 4 high-risk individuals (those with diabetes, hypertension, smoking, or high cholesterol) may have significant brain artery narrowing even without symptoms.
The same risk factors that block the heart -- high BP, diabetes, smoking, high cholesterol -- also block the brain. The difference is that the brain often stays silent until it's too late.
Modern Brain Scans Can Catch These Blocks Early
Advances in brain imaging have changed the game. CT angiograms, MR perfusion scans, SPECT, and DSA angiograms can accurately show where the blockage is, how severe it is, and how much blood flow is at risk.
Just like a heart angiogram maps coronary arteries, a brain angiogram maps the brain's blood highways. This allows doctors to detect dangerous narrowings early, often before they cause a major stroke.
Interventions Are Possible -- and Powerful
Here's the good news: interventions are not just for the heart anymore.
If a significant block is found:
* Carotid endarterectomy can surgically remove plaques in the neck arteries.
* Carotid stenting can open narrowed arteries through minimally invasive techniques.
* Intracranial angioplasty and stenting -- though more delicate -- are increasingly performed in selected patients with excellent results in experienced hands.
* In select patients Cerebral bypass surgeries can reroute blood flow around severely blocked arteries.
These procedures are particularly useful in patients who have warning symptoms or minor strokes despite medical treatment. In the right patient, done at the right time, they can prevent a massive, disabling stroke.
From Rescue to Prevention
For years, our stroke systems have focused on "rescue" after a stroke hits. It's time to shift the spotlight to prevention.
High-risk individuals should undergo brain vessel checks just like heart checks. TIA (mini-stroke) clinics, advanced imaging, and timely referral to neurovascular specialists can detect and treat these blocks early.
Just as angioplasty transformed heart care decades ago, neuro-angioplasty and surgical interventions have the potential to do the same for the brain -- if only we catch these patients before disaster strikes.
* Mini-stroke symptoms are warning bells -- don't ignore them.
* Modern scans can detect dangerous blocks in brain arteries.
* Procedures like stenting or surgery can fix these blocks before a major stroke.
* Just like heart disease, prevention is better -- and often possible -- for the brain too.