The Role of Transthoracic Echocardiography in the Evaluation of Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke
Keywords:
Acute ischemic stroke, Cardiac sources of emboli, Cardioembolic stroke, Stroke management, Transthoracic echocardiographyAbstract
Background: Still a major global cause of morbidity and death is acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Identifying cardiac origins of emboli and directing treatment is much aided by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). Objective: Towards its use in diagnosing cardiac anomalies, guiding treatment and outcome prediction, we aimed to find the value of TTE in AIS assessment. Methods: Between April 2024 to August, 2024, 384 patients with confirmed AIS were enrolled in this cross-sectional observational study. TTE started 72 hours after stroke started. Analyzed were TTE results, clinical characteristics and cardiovascular risk factors. Results: The investigation exposed the high frequency of cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension, 60.9%; smoking, 42.2%). Left atrial enlargement (26.6%), left ventricular dysfunction (27.6%) and valve anomalies (18.5%) were among the major cardiac abnormalities TTE found. Independent predictors of cardioembolic stroke were left atrial enlargement, reduced LVEF and thrombus in the left atrium/ventricle. TTE results directed treatment and projected outcomes of surgical recovery. Conclusion: This work emphasized the important function of TTE in AIS assessment, stressing its use in determining cardiac origins of emboli, guiding focused therapy, and projecting outcomes. Including TTE into AIS management systems helps to improve diagnosis accuracy, direct treatment and lower recurrent stroke risk.