ADVANCEMENTS IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASE IN DOGS AND CATS

摘要

The term cerebrovascular disease is defined as any abnormality of the brain resulting from a pathological process compromising its blood supply. Stroke or cerebrovascular accident (CVA) is the most common clinical presentation of cerebrovascular disease and is characterized by the abrupt onset of a neurological deficit referable to a specific vascular territory. By convention, these signs must continue for more than 24 hours to qualify for the diagnosis of stroke, which is usually associated with permanent damage to the brain. A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is an acute neurological syndrome of vascular etiology that resolves within 24 hours and often predicts the risk of a significant incoming stroke. CVAs are caused by an abrupt disruption of blood flow to the brain owing to blockage of an artery, depriving brain tissue of oxygen and glucose (ischemic stroke), or to the rupture of a vessel, resulting in hemorrhage into or around the brain (hemorrhagic stroke).