[Echocardiography in patients with acute cerebrovascular syndromes. Rational use and clinical impact]

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Neurology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Approximately 30% of acute cerebrovascular attacks stem from cardioembolic sources.
• Intracardiac thrombi and tumors are established causes, but the role of other cardiac lesions remains less clear.
• Accurate diagnosis of the cardiac source is crucial for effective clinical management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the diagnostic utility of echocardiography in identifying cardiac sources of acute cerebrovascular attacks.
• To propose a clinical evaluation flowchart for patients with suspected cardioembolic stroke.
• To highlight the therapeutic implications of echocardiographic findings.

Main Methods:

• Literature review on echocardiography's role in cardioembolic stroke.
• Analysis of diagnostic accuracy of echocardiographic techniques, including transesophageal echocardiography.
• Development of a proposed diagnostic algorithm.

Main Results:

• Echocardiography, particularly transesophageal echocardiography, demonstrates significant potential in identifying cardiac etiologies of stroke.
• The review underscores the importance of considering various cardiac lesions beyond thrombi and tumors.
• The proposed flowchart aims to standardize the evaluation process.

Conclusions:

• Echocardiography is a key diagnostic tool for uncovering cardiac sources of acute cerebrovascular attacks.
• Implementing a structured echocardiographic evaluation can improve diagnostic yield and guide therapeutic decisions.
• Further research may refine the role of echocardiography in specific patient subgroups.