ABSTRACT

Stroke or cerebrovascular accident (CVA) is a heterogeneous syndrome caused by multiple disease mechanisms, resulting in a disruption of cerebral blood fl ow with subsequent tissue damage (Virgini 2011). Stroke is the third leading cause of death after cardiovascular diseases and cancer and the leading cause of disability in adults (Thanoon et al. 2012). In fact, it is the second-leading cause of mortality and disease among adults over 60 yr of age worldwide (WHO 2003). Ischemic stroke results from the reduction of cerebral blood fl ow in the territory of a major cerebral artery due to transient or permanent occlusion by local thrombosis or embolus. Ischemic stroke accounts for approximately 80-85 percent of all cases, with approximately 30 percent of the former undergoing hemorrhagic transformation (Lyden and Zivin 1993).