What is a stroke screening?

Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
Updated on June 09, 2025
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Screening for stroke primarily targets high-risk groups, conducting relevant examinations to identify individuals at high risk of stroke and provide timely preventive treatment to prevent the formation of cerebral thrombosis. For example, stroke screening requires thorough checks of blood sugar, blood lipids, and homocysteine levels. It is also necessary to measure the patient's blood pressure and assess the condition of the patient’s blood vessels. This includes carrying out ultrasound scans of the bilateral common carotid, internal carotid, and vertebral arteries, as well as transcranial Doppler or cranial MRA examinations. If a patient exhibits significant cerebral arteriosclerosis with arterial narrowing, they are considered part of a high-risk group and must undergo appropriate interventional treatments.

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Written by Tang Bo
Neurology
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What department should I go to for a stroke?

Stroke is classified into ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke. If symptoms of a stroke occur, such as slurred speech, limb weakness, or other neurological deficits, one should immediately seek medical attention at the emergency department of a local hospital. Emergency doctors will perform a head CT scan. If ischemia is present, the CT scan might not show changes within 24 hours, in which case a visit to the neurology department is necessary. If hemorrhage is detected, then a visit to the neurosurgery department is required. However, if the symptoms are of a chronic, old stroke, then a visit to the neurology department is needed.

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Written by Tang Ying
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
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What does "brain stroke dnt" mean?

The term "DNT" refers to the time from when an acute stroke patient arrives at the hospital to the start of intravenous thrombolytic treatment. Both domestic and international guidelines recommend the DNT to be within 60 minutes—the earlier, the better. This standard was established by the National Health and Family Planning Commission. The time it takes for pre-hospital emergency care and in-hospital medication administration is approximately 60 minutes each. It is only by improving the time from pre-hospital treatment to medication administration within this golden window that we can enhance the patient's survival rate, prognosis, and quality of life, while minimizing disability rates.

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Written by Tang Bo
Neurology
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Key Points in the Treatment of Different Recovery Stages of Stroke

Stroke includes ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke, namely cerebral infarction and cerebral hemorrhage. Their treatments are generally opposite. If it is a cerebral infarction, thrombolytic therapy is needed within 4.5 hours of the acute phase. It is necessary to consider whether there are indications and contraindications, and whether the patient and family members agree to undergo thrombolytic therapy. Regardless of whether thrombolytic therapy is administered, it is essential to subsequently check the condition of the cranial vessels to determine if surgical treatment is needed. If surgery is not required, hospitalization for conservative treatment might be necessary. Typically, about 7 to 14 days after the acute phase, rehabilitation treatment may be needed once the patient's condition stabilizes. The duration of rehabilitation treatment usually depends on the patient's recovery progress. Afterwards, it is important to consider the patient's underlying diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, and other risk factors, to perform secondary prevention, which involves medication and control of risk factors. In the case of cerebral hemorrhage, the treatment during the acute phase depends on the amount and location of the bleeding and whether there are indications for surgery to determine if surgical treatment is necessary. If conservative treatment is chosen, it also involves hospital treatment, followed by possible rehabilitation treatment once stabilized.

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Neurology
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Manifestations of Stroke

First, if the patient has a large-area ischemic stroke, or if there is a significant amount of cerebral hemorrhage, consciousness disorders will occur rapidly, and the patient may even fall into a coma. Second, in the case of general strokes, patients will experience reduced mobility in their limbs, primarily manifesting as unilateral limb paralysis, with symptoms varying from mild to severe. Patients with milder symptoms show clumsiness in fine movements, while more severe cases may require bed rest. Third, a common clinical symptom is numbness in one side of the body. Fourth, patients with a stroke generally also suffer from symptoms such as deviation of the corners of the mouth, shallowing of the nasolabial folds, drooling, and unclear speech.

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Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
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The soft paralysis phase of a stroke refers to a few weeks after the onset.

The recovery of stroke patients is generally divided into four phases: the flaccid phase, also known as the hypotonic phase, the spastic phase, the recovery phase, and the sequelae phase. The symptoms of the flaccid phase mainly include muscle relaxation, low muscle tone, and lack of autonomous movement. The majority of patients maintain the flaccid phase for about one to three weeks, and depending on the individual's condition, they generally begin to enter the spastic phase after one to three weeks. A small portion of patients with severe conditions and poor initiative, who have not undergone formal rehabilitation training, may extend their flaccid phase to more than a month or even longer. Therefore, receiving early formal rehabilitation training to improve muscle strength and spasticity treatment can allow patients to smoothly transition through the flaccid phase and gradually enter the spastic phase. Good management of spasticity is even more beneficial for the patient’s recovery. Rehabilitation training can help stroke patients recover sooner and faster.