Echocardoiographic assessment of patients with acute ischemic stroke with electrocardiographic changes

Abstract EN

Background : Coincident ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction (Ml) are not uncommon.

Data suggest that angina, Ml and cardiac ischemia complicate 6% of acute strokes and constitute serious or life-threatening medical events in 1%.

Objective : is to assess echocardiographic changes in patients with recent ischemic stroke associated with electrocardiographic changes.

Patients and Methods : This study included 30 patients with acute ischemic stroke associated with ECG changes.

And this study group was compared with twenty patients with acute ischemic stroke not associated with ECG changes.

All patients were admitted to AlAzhar University Damietta Neurology and Neurosurgery Departments between January 2008 and September 2009.

Each patient was subjected to complete history taking, full clinical examination; resting standard 12-lead electrocardiogram at admission and after 10 days : laboratory investigations and resting Trans-Thoracic Echocardiography.

Results and Conclusion : there were significant echocardiographic changes in stioke patients correlated with ECG changes.

Thus, in ischemic stroke patients it is acceptable to perform electrocardiogram as a rapid readily available and cheap method for detecting myocardial affection secondaiy to stroke and then, cases with ECG changes, subsequently examined by echocardiography.