[Classification of the cerebrovascular diseases. Iberoamerican Cerebrovascular diseases Society]

In view of the several terminologies in countries belonging to the Iberoamerican Cerebrovascular diseases Society it seemed appropriate that the Executive Committee should propose a unified cerebrovascular diseases classification and nomenclature.

Based on the classifications of strokes NINCDS, TOAST, Laussane Stroke Registry, OCSP and that of the cerebrovascular diseases group of the Sociedad Española de Neurología, we devised a system for classification of cerebrovascular diseases with the objective of harmonizing the nomenclature and criteria of Iberomerican countries. We chose the word stroke as the most suitable for the definition of cerebrovascular diseases. These were then divided into symptomatic and non symptomatic. The symptoms were then divided into those of transient ischaemic accidents (TIA) and stroke, and then into ischaemic and haemorrhagic. We established the aetiological subtypes of focal cerebral ischaemia (TIA and ischaemic stroke) as: disease of the great vessels or atherothrombotic, cardio embolic, occlusive small vessel disease, of unusual cause or of unknown origin. Haemorrhagic stroke was divided into subarachnoid haemorrhage and cerebral haemorrhage, which was then subdivided according to the site.

We consider that this nomenclature is simple and easy to use and in concordance with the international classifications, which permits the use of common terminology that is easily translated into English.