The key to thriving after a brainstem stroke is to get medical care as soon as possible. You may also need physical therapy to improve motor skills and occupational therapy to regain basic skills, like dressing yourself. Speech therapy may be necessary to improve speech and oral communication with the brain.

You may need ongoing care, like therapies and medication. Like other strokes, a brainstem stroke can have long-term health implications. Because a stroke involves the brain, every second between a stroke and treatment counts. The sooner you see your doctor if you suspect a stroke, the sooner you can receive the proper treatment and recovery care to prevent, or regain, loss of body functions. You may need to ingest a dye prior to having a CT or MRI, which will help the arteries show up better in the pictures.įor any type of stroke, quick medical care is of the utmost importance. These tests will take pictures of your brain that can help your doctor check for bleeds and blockages that may have caused, or could cause, a stroke. A test that involves the use of x-rays to check the arteries for leaks or blockages. Your doctor could run the following diagnostic tests to find out if you’ve had a brainstem stroke: In addition to your healthcare provider asking general questions about your health and when possible symptoms first began, he or she may also check for signs of injury to the brainstem. For example, if there is a stroke patient who has simultaneous bilateral hemiparesis (weakness) or sequential hemiparesis, first on one side of the body and then after a while or the next day on the other side, it points to the brainstem.Ĭommon symptoms of a brainstem stroke include: This includes either sensory or motor, symmetric or asymmetric, simultaneous or sequential. Bilateral simultaneous involvement of long tracts.Damage to this nerve can be recognized by what are know as ‘down ‘n out’ symptoms, where the gaze of the affected eye is focused down and lateral of the unaffected eye. The oculomotor nerve is a cranial nerve is part of eyelid movement and the eyes ability to focus on an object. In other words, this is presence of ipsilateral (same side) motor and sensory cranial nerve signs or symptoms and contralateral (opposite side) hemianesthesia (loss of sensation) and hemiplegia (weakness). Common cranial nerve symptoms caused by a brainstem stroke are upward drifting in the affected eye, a dilated pupil, and double vision. Recognizing the cranial nerve symptoms can help determine where the stroke occurred. There are 12 pairs, all of which control motor and sensory information in the head and neck. The cranial nerves emerge directly from the brainstem. If the patient has vertigo, it should immediately point toward a brainstem disorder.

The cerebellum controls face and body coordination so a disruption can lead to vertigo. Brainstem strokes interrupt the connection of the brain and cerebellum. There are 5 key features of a brainstem stroke:

Brain stem stroke