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Stroke Treatments

The Place to Turn for Stroke Treatment

Emory Stroke Center offers the full spectrum of stroke treatments. Whether you need help to prevent stroke, address it as it happens or aid your recovery, we’re here for you.

We offer the latest medical, minimally invasive interventional and neuroendovascular surgery treatment options. And we’re continuously looking for ways to improve treatments to help you get the best results. With experts who are leaders in their fields and personalized treatments, you’ll get the finest stroke care available from Emory Healthcare.

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Preventive Stroke Treatments

Certain conditions, such as intracranial, or cerebral aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations (AVM), increase your risk for a hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke. An intracranial aneurysm is a weakening and bulging of blood vessel walls in the brain. An AVM is an abnormal connection between arteries and veins in the brain.

Treatment may prevent strokes related to these conditions.

Cerebral aneurysm treatments include:

  • Aneurysm clipping: We place a clamp on the aneurysm to prevent blood from leaking.
  • Aneurysm coiling: A minimally invasive procedure to insert tiny, soft, platinum coils into an aneurysm with a flexible tube passed through a blood vessel . The coils fill the bulging area and prevent blood from entering to prevent future bleeding.

Treatments for AVMs include:

  • Endovascular treatment (embolization): We inject a glue-like material into the AVM with a tiny flexible tube passed through a blood vessel. Embolization is sometimes used alone, but is usually done to make surgery for AVMs safer.
  • Stereotactic radiosurgery: We use a focused beam of radiation to destroy the AVM.
  • Surgical removal: In this treatment, a neurosurgeon uses a microscopic and delicate instruments to remove the AVM(microsurgery). If an AVM is in a part of the brain that’s easy to reach, removal may be a good option.

Other preventive treatments include:

  • Brain bypass surgery: This procedure restores blood flow to certain areas of the brain that have been deprived by conditions the put a patient at risk of a stroke
  • Carotid endarterectomy: We remove cholesterol plaque that can block blood flow to the brain from the carotid arteries in the neck.
  • Carotid artery stenting: A minimally invasive approach to open a blocked carotid from inside the arteries. The artery is typically unblocked using a balloon and held open with a permanent stent (small metal tube).

Emergency Stroke Treatment

When you need emergency stroke care, we make it easy. Our services include:

  • Emory Flight, Emory Healthcare’s air medical transport service: Our three helicopters with advanced life support systems get you to the hospital quickly when minutes matter.
  • Emergency departments with 24/7 neurology coverage and access to our stroke team when you need it: Team members include neurologists, neurosurgeons and interventional neuroradiologists who specialize in stroke diagnosis and minimally invasive treatments. The team also includes pharmacists and nurses specialized in stroke care.
  • A dedicated Neurointensive Care Unit and neurointensive doctors who are experts at emergency stroke care: This unit helps improve stroke survival and reduces severe complications.

Ischemic Stroke Therapies

When a blockage causes a stroke, the goal of treatment is to restore blood flow to your brain and limit brain damage. Sometimes, we can do this with medications:

  • Clot-busting medicines: Tissue plasminogen activator (tenecteplase or ateplase) can dissolve a blood clot and lower the risk of long-term stroke effects. And for it to work best, doctors must give it as soon as possible after stroke symptoms start.
  • Neuro-protective medicines: These drugs limit the damage done when brain cells die.

Interventional neuroradiology treatments allow us to restore blood flow from inside your blood vessels.

  • Endovascular thrombectomy: Doctors thread a tiny tube through an artery in the groin to the blocked artery in the brain. They then insert a device to remove the blood clot and restore blood flow.
  • Cerebral angioplasty and stenting: Doctors insert a tiny tube with a balloon on its tip into a blocked artery and inflate the balloon. This pushes vessel-clogging plaque against the artery walls. Doctors then place a stent, or a mesh, steel brace, into the blood vessel to keep it open.

Aneurysm coiling and embolization for AVMs are also interventional neuroendovascular surgery treatments.

Hemorrhagic Stroke Therapies

When bleeding in the brain causes a stroke, the goal is to stop the bleeding. Doctors also try to reduce pressure on the brain. Treatment options include:

  • Medication: Sometimes doctors give medicine to relieve pain, reduce blood pressure and control seizures. Medicine may also reduce fever and blood sugar levels.
  • Surgery: Among the surgical treatments are:
    • Hematoma removal: Sometimes clots form in the brain due to bleeding. Doctors may surgically remove the clots. Emory has pioneered cutting edge minimally invasive removal of blood clots from the brain.
    • Ventriculostomy: If blood pools in your brain, doctors may drain the blood to relieve pressure.

Stroke Rehabilitation

Stroke can take a heavy toll. It may affect your ability to move, speak, read, write and care for yourself. Emory Stroke Center offers some of the most complete neurorehabilitation for stroke in Atlanta and the Southeast through Emory Rehabilitation Hospital.

Rehab team members include physical, speech and occupational therapists, physical medicine & rehabilitation physicians and neuropsychologists. Counselors and social workers who support our patients and their families are also part of the team. Together, we create a personalized rehab program to help you live as independently as possible and enjoy life.

Our core services include:

  • Case management
  • Chaplain
  • Medical management by a specialist in rehabilitation
  • Nursing services
  • Nutrition services
  • Occupational therapy
  • Physical therapy
  • Psychology and neuropsychology
  • Social services
  • Speech therapy
  • Therapeutic recreation and community integration activities

Our specialty services include:

  • Balance and dizziness clinic
  • Driver evaluation program
  • Intensive treatment program for aphasia (inability to understand or express speech)
  • Low vision clinic
  • Orthotics clinic
  • Peer supporter program
  • Rehabilitation day program
  • Spasticity management services
  • Stroke education group
  • Stroke support group
  • Vagal nerve stimulator rehabilitation
  • Vocational rehabilitation
  • Wheelchair seating and mobility clinic
Stroke Recovery and Follow-Up

After a stroke, ongoing care is often needed and helpful. Through Emory Stroke Center Outpatient Clinic, we offer a variety of programs and services.

Stroke

A stroke can change your life in an instant. Minutes count. Call 911 if you think you or a loved one is having a stroke. And turn to the experts at Emory Healthcare for answers.

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Make an Appointment with Emory Neurology & Neurosurgery

Create a MyChart account to schedule online.

For the neurology department, call 404-778-3444.

For the neurosurgery department, call 404-778-5770.

network_intelligence

Make an Appointment with Emory Neurology & Neurosurgery

Create a MyChart account to schedule online.

For the neurology department, call 404-778-3444.

For the neurosurgery department, call 404-778-5770.