← Back to guidelines
Cardiology81 papers

Occlusion of cerebral artery with stroke

Last edited: 4/22/2026

Overview

Cerebral artery occlusion leading to stroke results in significant neurological deficits due to interrupted blood flow to brain tissue. Endovascular therapy (EVT) is a critical intervention, but outcomes can be influenced by factors such as body mass index (BMI), genetic predispositions, and collateral circulation.

Diagnosis

  • Clinical Presentation: Acute onset of neurological deficits (e.g., weakness, speech difficulties) 12.
  • Imaging: Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) or computed tomography angiography (CTA) to confirm occlusion and extent of ischemia 31.
  • Grading: Use of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) for severity assessment 1.
  • Management

  • Endovascular Therapy (EVT): Primary treatment for acute large vessel occlusion; tenecteplase may be considered within 24 hours for basilar artery occlusion 3.
  • Pharmacological Management:
  • - Thrombolytics: Tenecteplase for basilar artery occlusion within 24 hours 3. - Neuroprotection: Investigational agents like HIF-1alpha inhibition show promise in preclinical models 27.
  • Supportive Care: Management of blood pressure, glycemic control, and prevention of secondary complications 12.
  • Special Populations

  • Pregnancy and Puerperium: Ischemic strokes in this population share similar pathological bases with non-pregnancy-related strokes 47.
  • Elderly: Local intra-arterial fibrinolysis (LIF) remains controversial due to increased risk/benefit considerations 40.
  • Comorbidities: BMI impacts functional outcomes; higher BMI may correlate with poorer recovery 1.
  • Key Recommendations

  • Endovascular Therapy should be prioritized for acute large vessel occlusions to improve functional outcomes 13. (Evidence: Strong)
  • Consider BMI in predicting functional recovery post-stroke; higher BMI may indicate a higher risk of adverse outcomes 1. (Evidence: Moderate)
  • Evaluate Genetic Polymorphisms such as HDAC9 and VEGFA/VEGFR2 variants to predict stroke severity and outcomes in large artery atherosclerotic stroke 810. (Evidence: Moderate)
  • Monitor Biomarkers like serum YKL-40 and endocan levels for prognostic insights in large-artery atherosclerotic stroke 1113. (Evidence: Moderate)
  • Consider Pharmacological Agents like melatonin for potential dual-phase protection in ischemic-reperfusion injury scenarios 4. (Evidence: Weak)
  • References

    1 Kinoshita Y, Sakakibara F, Yoshimura S, Uchida K, Sakai N, Yamagami H et al.. Effects of Body Mass Index on Functional Outcomes in Patients with Acute Cerebral Large Vessel Occlusion. Cerebrovascular diseases (Basel, Switzerland) 2026. link 2 Hurry M, Posner DA, Wong R, Grayston A, Díaz-Marugan L, Zhang X et al.. Cerebral ischaemic stroke results in altered mucosal antibody responses and host-commensal microbiota interactions. Brain, behavior, and immunity 2026. link 3 Xiong Y, Alemseged F, Cao Z, Schwamm LH, Zhang S, Parsons MW et al.. Tenecteplase versus standard medical treatment for basilar artery occlusion within 24 h (TRACE-5): a multicentre, prospective, randomised, open-label, blinded-endpoint, superiority, phase 3 trial. Lancet (London, England) 2026. link02633-9) 4 Lu D, Liu Y, Huang H, Hu M, Li T, Wang S et al.. Melatonin Offers Dual-Phase Protection to Brain Vessel Endothelial Cells in Prolonged Cerebral Ischemia-Recanalization Through Ameliorating ER Stress and Resolving Refractory Stress Granule. Translational stroke research 2023. link 5 Ozdemir A, Ogden M, Kartal B, Ceylan AF, Yuksel U, Bakar B. Investigation of therapeutic effects of calcium dobesilate in cerebral hypoxia/ reperfusion injury in rats. Neurological research 2023. link 6 Kohlhase K, Frank F, Wilmes C, Koerbel K, Schaller-Paule MA, Miles M et al.. Brain-specific biomarkers in urine as a non-invasive approach to monitor neuronal and glial damage. European journal of neurology 2023. link 7 Hu S, Wu G, Wu B, Du Z, Zhang Y. Rehabilitative training paired with peripheral stimulation promotes motor recovery after ischemic cerebral stroke. Experimental neurology 2022. link 8 Li Z, Wang M, Gu J, Zhao L, Guo Y, Zhang Z et al.. Missense Variants in Hypoxia-Induced VEGFA/VEGFR2 Signaling Predict the Outcome of Large Artery Atherosclerotic Stroke. Cellular and molecular neurobiology 2021. link 9 Wu R, Yun Q, Zhang J, Bao J. RETRACTED: Long non-coding RNA GAS5 retards neural functional recovery in cerebral ischemic stroke through modulation of the microRNA-455-5p/PTEN axis. Brain research bulletin 2021. link 10 Wang M, Gu M, Li Z, Sun B, Cheng X, Dai Z et al.. HDAC9 Polymorphisms Predict Susceptibility, Severity, and Short-Term Outcome of Large Artery Atherosclerotic Stroke in Chinese Population. Journal of molecular neuroscience : MN 2019. link 11 He XW, Ke SF, Bao YY, Hong WJ, Shen YG, Li C et al.. Serum levels of endocan and endoglin are associated with large-artery atherosclerotic stroke. Clinica chimica acta; international journal of clinical chemistry 2018. link 12 Liu M, Chen J, Zhang S, Ren C. Downregulation of lipocalin-2 and Bim expression after remote limb preconditioning in the ischemic rat brain. Brain research 2018. link 13 Chen XL, Li Q, Huang WS, Lin YS, Xue J, Wang B et al.. Serum YKL-40, a prognostic marker in patients with large-artery atherosclerotic stroke. Acta neurologica Scandinavica 2017. link 14 Zhang H, Zhang Z, Zhang J, Xu L, Ye Z, Hao Y et al.. Fine-Mapping of ABO Gene Identifies Two Novel SNPs Associated with Large Artery Atherosclerotic Stroke in a Chinese Han Population. Molecular neurobiology 2017. link 15 Liang Z, Wu G, Fan C, Xu J, Jiang S, Yan X et al.. The emerging role of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 in cerebral ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. Progress in neurobiology 2016. link 16 Zhang Z, Ni G, Xu G, Xu J, Liu X. A Novel Functional Polymorphism in the NINJ2 Promoter Predicts Risk of Large Artery Atherosclerotic Stroke. Molecular neurobiology 2016. link 17 Sato H, Ishii Y, Yamamoto S, Azuma E, Takahashi Y, Hamashima T et al.. PDGFR-β Plays a Key Role in the Ectopic Migration of Neuroblasts in Cerebral Stroke. Stem cells (Dayton, Ohio) 2016. link 18 Sato K, Yoneya M, Otsuki A, Sadamoto T, Ogoh S. Anatomical vertebral artery hypoplasia and insufficiency impairs dynamic blood flow regulation. Clinical physiology and functional imaging 2015. link 19 Lai C, Zhou HC, Ma XH, Zhang HX. Quantitative evaluation of the axonal degeneration of central motor neurons in chronic cerebral stroke with diffusion tensor imaging. Acta radiologica (Stockholm, Sweden : 1987) 2014. link 20 Wang Y, Wang N, Wu L, Lu W, Zhang Y. Simultaneous determination of four components in Baige capsule by HPLC: application to pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of normal and middle cerebral artery occlusion rats. Biomedical chromatography : BMC 2014. link 21 James RF, Lamm JR, Kanaan HA. Mechanical revascularization of acute iatrogenic anterior cerebral artery occlusions: use of a new coaxial dual-lumen balloon catheter results in rapid access and flow restoration. Journal of neurointerventional surgery 2013. link 22 van den Berg E, Nys GM, Brands AM, Ruis C, van Zandvoort MJ, Kessels RP. Exploration of the Raven APM-National Adult Reading Test discrepancy as a measure of intellectual decline in older persons. Applied neuropsychology. Adult 2013. link 23 Polonikov AV, Vialykh EK, Churnosov MI, Illig T, Freidin MB, Vasil'eva OV et al.. The C718T polymorphism in the 3'-untranslated region of glutathione peroxidase-4 gene is a predictor of cerebral stroke in patients with essential hypertension. Hypertension research : official journal of the Japanese Society of Hypertension 2012. link 24 Gulsvik AK, Gulsvik A, Svendsen E, Mæhle BO, Thelle DS, Wyller TB. Diagnostic validity of fatal cerebral strokes and coronary deaths in mortality statistics: an autopsy study. European journal of epidemiology 2011. link 25 Arpino C, Compagnone E, Cacciatore D, Coniglio A, Castorina M, Curatolo P. MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms and cerebral stroke in two twin gestations. Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery 2011. link 26 Wetterling F, Tabbert M, Junge S, Gallagher L, Macrae IM, Fagan AJ. A double-tuned (1)H/(23)Na dual resonator system for tissue sodium concentration measurements in the rat brain via Na-MRI. Physics in medicine and biology 2010. link 27 Chen C, Hu Q, Yan J, Yang X, Shi X, Lei J et al.. Early inhibition of HIF-1alpha with small interfering RNA reduces ischemic-reperfused brain injury in rats. Neurobiology of disease 2009. link 28 Zolgharni M, Ledger PD, Griffiths H. Forward modelling of magnetic induction tomography: a sensitivity study for detecting haemorrhagic cerebral stroke. Medical & biological engineering & computing 2009. link 29 Shuaib A, Hussain MS. The past and future of neuroprotection in cerebral ischaemic stroke. European neurology 2008. link 30 Rathore P, Dohare P, Varma S, Ray A, Sharma U, Jagannathan NR et al.. Curcuma oil: reduces early accumulation of oxidative product and is anti-apoptogenic in transient focal ischemia in rat brain. Neurochemical research 2008. link 31 Huisman TA. Diffusion-weighted imaging: basic concepts and application in cerebral stroke and head trauma. European radiology 2003. link 32 Teskey GC, Flynn C, Goertzen CD, Monfils MH, Young NA. Cortical stimulation improves skilled forelimb use following a focal ischemic infarct in the rat. Neurological research 2003. link 33 Liu YJ, Chung HW, Huang IJ, Wang FN, Chin SC, Lee CS et al.. A reinvestigation of maximal signal drop in dynamic susceptibility contrast magnetic resonance imaging. Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging 2002. link 34 Ouchi Y, Nobezawa S, Yoshikawa E, Futatsubashi M, Kanno T, Okada H et al.. Postural effects on brain hemodynamics in unilateral cerebral artery occlusive disease: a positron emission tomography study. Journal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism : official journal of the International Society of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism 2001. link 35 Miyazawa N, Toyama K, Arbab AS, Koizumi K, Arai T, Nukui H. Evaluation of crossed cerebellar diaschisis in 30 patients with major cerebral artery occlusion by means of quantitative I-123 IMP SPECT. Annals of nuclear medicine 2001. link 36 Zaheer A, Ozsunar Y, Schaefer PW. Magnetic resonance imaging of cerebral hemorrhagic stroke. Topics in magnetic resonance imaging : TMRI 2000. link 37 Masoero E, Frattini P, Favalli L, Rozza A, Scelsi R, Govoni S. Effect of acute alcohol on ischemia-induced glutamate release and brain damage. Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.) 2000. link00117-8) 38 Trieu VN, Dong Y, Zheng Y, Uckun FM. In vivo antioxidant activity of genistein in a murine model of singlet oxygen-induced cerebral stroke. Radiation research 1999. link 39 Cornblath WT, Butter CM, Barnes LL, Hasselbach MM. Spatial characteristics of cerebral polyopia: a case study. Vision research 1998. link00431-8) 40 Schumacher M, Kraft S, Siekmann R. Is local intra-arterial fibrinolysis contraindicated in elderly patients with cerebral artery occlusion?. Neuroradiology 1998. link 41 Sygitowicz G, Minor A, Jasińska I, Pachecka J. Atherosclerosis risk factors in patients in acute cerebral stroke in relation to sex and age. Acta poloniae pharmaceutica 1997. link 42 Kazumata K, Tanaka N, Ishikawa T, Kuroda S, Houkin K, Mitsumori K. Dissociation of vasoreactivity to acetazolamide and hypercapnia. Comparative study in patients with chronic occlusive major cerebral artery disease. Stroke 1996. link 43 Meador KJ, Loring DW, Baron MS, Rogers OL, Kimpel TG. Hemispatial-limb hypometria. The International journal of neuroscience 1988. link 44 Matsuo T, Shinomiya K, Okuno S, Matsuo C, Matsuo O. Urinary excretion rate of antithrombin III related antigen in cerebral stroke. Thrombosis and haemostasis 1984. link 45 Hilal SK, Maudsley AA, Simon HE, Perman WH, Bonn J, Mawad ME et al.. In vivo NMR imaging of tissue sodium in the intact cat before and after acute cerebral stroke. AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology 1983. link 46 Yamori Y, Ohtaka M, Horie R, Akiguchi I. Cerebral stroke and myocardial lesions in stroke-prone SHR. Japanese heart journal 1978. link 47 Cross JN, Castro PO, Jennett WB. Cerebral strokes associated with pregnancy and the puerperium. British medical journal 1968. link

    Original source

    1. [1]
      Effects of Body Mass Index on Functional Outcomes in Patients with Acute Cerebral Large Vessel Occlusion.Kinoshita Y, Sakakibara F, Yoshimura S, Uchida K, Sakai N, Yamagami H et al. Cerebrovascular diseases (Basel, Switzerland) (2026)
    2. [2]
      Cerebral ischaemic stroke results in altered mucosal antibody responses and host-commensal microbiota interactions.Hurry M, Posner DA, Wong R, Grayston A, Díaz-Marugan L, Zhang X et al. Brain, behavior, and immunity (2026)
    3. [3]
    4. [4]
    5. [5]
      Investigation of therapeutic effects of calcium dobesilate in cerebral hypoxia/ reperfusion injury in rats.Ozdemir A, Ogden M, Kartal B, Ceylan AF, Yuksel U, Bakar B Neurological research (2023)
    6. [6]
      Brain-specific biomarkers in urine as a non-invasive approach to monitor neuronal and glial damage.Kohlhase K, Frank F, Wilmes C, Koerbel K, Schaller-Paule MA, Miles M et al. European journal of neurology (2023)
    7. [7]
    8. [8]
      Missense Variants in Hypoxia-Induced VEGFA/VEGFR2 Signaling Predict the Outcome of Large Artery Atherosclerotic Stroke.Li Z, Wang M, Gu J, Zhao L, Guo Y, Zhang Z et al. Cellular and molecular neurobiology (2021)
    9. [9]
    10. [10]
      HDAC9 Polymorphisms Predict Susceptibility, Severity, and Short-Term Outcome of Large Artery Atherosclerotic Stroke in Chinese Population.Wang M, Gu M, Li Z, Sun B, Cheng X, Dai Z et al. Journal of molecular neuroscience : MN (2019)
    11. [11]
      Serum levels of endocan and endoglin are associated with large-artery atherosclerotic stroke.He XW, Ke SF, Bao YY, Hong WJ, Shen YG, Li C et al. Clinica chimica acta; international journal of clinical chemistry (2018)
    12. [12]
    13. [13]
      Serum YKL-40, a prognostic marker in patients with large-artery atherosclerotic stroke.Chen XL, Li Q, Huang WS, Lin YS, Xue J, Wang B et al. Acta neurologica Scandinavica (2017)
    14. [14]
    15. [15]
      The emerging role of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 in cerebral ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke.Liang Z, Wu G, Fan C, Xu J, Jiang S, Yan X et al. Progress in neurobiology (2016)
    16. [16]
    17. [17]
      PDGFR-β Plays a Key Role in the Ectopic Migration of Neuroblasts in Cerebral Stroke.Sato H, Ishii Y, Yamamoto S, Azuma E, Takahashi Y, Hamashima T et al. Stem cells (Dayton, Ohio) (2016)
    18. [18]
      Anatomical vertebral artery hypoplasia and insufficiency impairs dynamic blood flow regulation.Sato K, Yoneya M, Otsuki A, Sadamoto T, Ogoh S Clinical physiology and functional imaging (2015)
    19. [19]
    20. [20]
    21. [21]
    22. [22]
      Exploration of the Raven APM-National Adult Reading Test discrepancy as a measure of intellectual decline in older persons.van den Berg E, Nys GM, Brands AM, Ruis C, van Zandvoort MJ, Kessels RP Applied neuropsychology. Adult (2013)
    23. [23]
      The C718T polymorphism in the 3'-untranslated region of glutathione peroxidase-4 gene is a predictor of cerebral stroke in patients with essential hypertension.Polonikov AV, Vialykh EK, Churnosov MI, Illig T, Freidin MB, Vasil'eva OV et al. Hypertension research : official journal of the Japanese Society of Hypertension (2012)
    24. [24]
      Diagnostic validity of fatal cerebral strokes and coronary deaths in mortality statistics: an autopsy study.Gulsvik AK, Gulsvik A, Svendsen E, Mæhle BO, Thelle DS, Wyller TB European journal of epidemiology (2011)
    25. [25]
      MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms and cerebral stroke in two twin gestations.Arpino C, Compagnone E, Cacciatore D, Coniglio A, Castorina M, Curatolo P Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery (2011)
    26. [26]
      A double-tuned (1)H/(23)Na dual resonator system for tissue sodium concentration measurements in the rat brain via Na-MRI.Wetterling F, Tabbert M, Junge S, Gallagher L, Macrae IM, Fagan AJ Physics in medicine and biology (2010)
    27. [27]
      Early inhibition of HIF-1alpha with small interfering RNA reduces ischemic-reperfused brain injury in rats.Chen C, Hu Q, Yan J, Yang X, Shi X, Lei J et al. Neurobiology of disease (2009)
    28. [28]
      Forward modelling of magnetic induction tomography: a sensitivity study for detecting haemorrhagic cerebral stroke.Zolgharni M, Ledger PD, Griffiths H Medical & biological engineering & computing (2009)
    29. [29]
      The past and future of neuroprotection in cerebral ischaemic stroke.Shuaib A, Hussain MS European neurology (2008)
    30. [30]
      Curcuma oil: reduces early accumulation of oxidative product and is anti-apoptogenic in transient focal ischemia in rat brain.Rathore P, Dohare P, Varma S, Ray A, Sharma U, Jagannathan NR et al. Neurochemical research (2008)
    31. [31]
    32. [32]
      Cortical stimulation improves skilled forelimb use following a focal ischemic infarct in the rat.Teskey GC, Flynn C, Goertzen CD, Monfils MH, Young NA Neurological research (2003)
    33. [33]
      A reinvestigation of maximal signal drop in dynamic susceptibility contrast magnetic resonance imaging.Liu YJ, Chung HW, Huang IJ, Wang FN, Chin SC, Lee CS et al. Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging (2002)
    34. [34]
      Postural effects on brain hemodynamics in unilateral cerebral artery occlusive disease: a positron emission tomography study.Ouchi Y, Nobezawa S, Yoshikawa E, Futatsubashi M, Kanno T, Okada H et al. Journal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism : official journal of the International Society of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism (2001)
    35. [35]
      Evaluation of crossed cerebellar diaschisis in 30 patients with major cerebral artery occlusion by means of quantitative I-123 IMP SPECT.Miyazawa N, Toyama K, Arbab AS, Koizumi K, Arai T, Nukui H Annals of nuclear medicine (2001)
    36. [36]
      Magnetic resonance imaging of cerebral hemorrhagic stroke.Zaheer A, Ozsunar Y, Schaefer PW Topics in magnetic resonance imaging : TMRI (2000)
    37. [37]
      Effect of acute alcohol on ischemia-induced glutamate release and brain damage.Masoero E, Frattini P, Favalli L, Rozza A, Scelsi R, Govoni S Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.) (2000)
    38. [38]
    39. [39]
      Spatial characteristics of cerebral polyopia: a case study.Cornblath WT, Butter CM, Barnes LL, Hasselbach MM Vision research (1998)
    40. [40]
    41. [41]
      Atherosclerosis risk factors in patients in acute cerebral stroke in relation to sex and age.Sygitowicz G, Minor A, Jasińska I, Pachecka J Acta poloniae pharmaceutica (1997)
    42. [42]
    43. [43]
      Hemispatial-limb hypometria.Meador KJ, Loring DW, Baron MS, Rogers OL, Kimpel TG The International journal of neuroscience (1988)
    44. [44]
      Urinary excretion rate of antithrombin III related antigen in cerebral stroke.Matsuo T, Shinomiya K, Okuno S, Matsuo C, Matsuo O Thrombosis and haemostasis (1984)
    45. [45]
      In vivo NMR imaging of tissue sodium in the intact cat before and after acute cerebral stroke.Hilal SK, Maudsley AA, Simon HE, Perman WH, Bonn J, Mawad ME et al. AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology (1983)
    46. [46]
      Cerebral stroke and myocardial lesions in stroke-prone SHR.Yamori Y, Ohtaka M, Horie R, Akiguchi I Japanese heart journal (1978)
    47. [47]
      Cerebral strokes associated with pregnancy and the puerperium.Cross JN, Castro PO, Jennett WB British medical journal (1968)

    HemoChat

    by SPINAI

    Evidence-based clinical decision support powered by SNOMED-CT, Neo4j GraphRAG, and NASS/AO/NICE guidelines.

    ⚕ For clinical reference only. Not a substitute for professional judgment.

    © 2026 HemoChat. All rights reserved.
    Research·Pricing·Privacy & Terms·Refund·SNOMED-CT · NASS · AO Spine · NICE · GraphRAG