2023, Volume 16, Issue 6, pp 842 – 850

Diagnosis and treatment of Watershed strokes: a narrative review

SCImago Journal & Country Rank

Issues

Special Issues

Authors and Affiliations

Corresponding Author: Ioan Dogariu Department of Neurology, Emergency County Hospital, Targu-Jiu, Romania Email: dogariuioan@gmail.com

Abstract

Watershed strokes have been described previously as ischemic strokes located in vulnerable border zones between brain tissue supplied by the anterior, posterior, and middle cerebral arteries in the distal junction between two non-anastomotic arterial territories. Ischemic strokes in border zones are well-recognized entities and well-described in terms of imaging features, but the pathophysiological mechanism of brain injury production is not fully defined. Border zone ischemia is caused by cerebral hypoperfusion through decreased cerebral blood flow and arterial embolism in unstable atheroma plaque. It is often difficult to say which mechanisms are fully responsible for producing cerebral ischemic lesions. This review aimed to highlight the imaging aspect of watershed strokes and to correlate the clinical characteristics of this type of stroke with the diagnostic algorithm for optimal therapeutic management. Neurologists should promptly recognize this type of stroke and investigate its etiology in the shortest possible time.

Keywords

About this article

PMC ID: 10478671
PubMed ID: 37675172
DOI: 10.25122/jml-2023-0127

Article Publishing Date (print): 6 2023
Available Online: 

Journal information

ISSN Printing: 1844-122X
ISSN Online: 1844-3117
Journal Title: Journal of Medicine and Life

Copyright License: Open Access

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.


SCImago Journal & Country Rank

Issues

Special Issues