CH-St-Gallen | A blood clot in the brain that blocks the supply of oxygen can cause an acute stroke. In this case, every minute counts. A team from Empa, the University Hospital in Geneva and the Hirslanden Clinic is currently developing a diagnostic procedure that can be used to start a tailored therapy in a timely manner, as they write in the current issue of the scientific journal Scientific Reports.
There is no warning sign: From one moment to the next, entire brain areas are blocked. When a clot occludes a blood vessel, the oxygen supply to the brain is interrupted, and the affected person suffers an acute cerebral stroke. The life-threatening condition can manifest itself in many different ways: from muscle paralysis to loss of hearing or vision to unconsciousness. But one thing is certain: This is a medical emergency, and the time span until the vascular blockage is resolved must be as short as possible in order to save as many nerve cells as possible from dying. This is the only way to prevent permanent neurological damage.
Which treatment is best suited for this purpose is not always easy to determine in the required rush. Based on X-ray analysis and electron microscopy, a team from Empa, the Hirslanden Clinic and the University Hospital in Geneva is currently developing a method that should enable the optimal therapy to be identified in the shortest possible time. A first study has been published in the scientific journal Scientific Reports. This data should provide the basis for tailored treatment in the sense of personalized medicine.