Diagnosing a Stroke

How is a stroke diagnosed?

Diagnosis of stroke involves a detailed medical history and thorough neurological examination. The clinical features can help to determine the cause, location, and extent of the damage in stroke. Radiological investigations like a CT scan and MRI are useful for the rapid and accurate diagnosis of the type of the stroke as well as the size and extent of the brain damage.
The correct identification of the cause of the stroke may require blood pressure monitoring, coagulation studies, blood glucose and cholesterol levels, ECG, transcranial Doppler ultrasound and carotid artery ultrasound.