Stroke Prevention

Nine out of 10 strokes are preventable. Stroke experts at Henry Ford Health help more people avoid this potentially life-changing disease with specialized care. We are among the few programs in the country with a dedicated Cerebrovascular Occlusion Clinic focused on preventing strokes caused by blockages in brain arteries.

Prevent a Stroke by Knowing Your Risks

If you have one or more risk factors, you face higher chances of having a stroke.

Stroke risk factors include:

• Age: As you get older, your risk of stroke increases.
• Gender: Stroke is more common in men than in women. But women who have a stroke are more likely to experience severe complications, including death.
• Heart and vascular diseases: These conditions include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, atrial fibrillation and heart attack.
• Lifestyle factors: Using tobacco, drinking too much alcohol, using illegal drugs, eating a diet high in unhealthy fats and not getting enough physical activity raise your risk.
• Previous stroke: If you’ve had a stroke, you face an increased lifetime risk of a second stroke.
• Race and ethnicity: Stroke risk can vary by race and ethnicity. For instance, African Americans have a greater risk for stroke than other groups.

Stroke Prevention Services at Henry Ford: Why Choose Us?

Neurovascular diseases or other stroke risk factors don’t always require invasive treatment. We thoroughly assess your situation before making personalized care recommendations. Our careful approach lowers your stroke risk while helping you avoid unnecessary surgery. Find out more about the Cerebrovascular Occlusion Clinic.

As national leaders in stroke research, we also explore new methods of managing neurovascular disease that can lead to stroke. Our interests include minimally invasive techniques for recurring carotid artery disease. Find out more about stroke innovation and research.

Can Our Preventive Stroke Services Help You?

We care for people with narrowing or blockages in the main arteries that supply the brain (carotid artery disease). We also treat people with aneurysms, weak spots in blood vessels that balloon outward. Find out more about neurovascular diseases that can cause a stroke.

Additional reasons you may wish to see our specialists include:

• Stroke risk factors, including heart problems and a previous stroke
• Family history of aneurysm or inherited disorders, such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, that affect your blood vessels
• Previous transient ischemic attack (TIA), a temporary blockage in one of the brain’s blood vessels that means you are in danger of a stroke

Our Stroke Prevention Services

We offer the full range of stroke prevention services, including:

Stroke risk assessment and monitoring

A comprehensive evaluation helps us learn more about your risk factors. Your evaluation may include carotid artery ultrasound to evaluate blood flow to the brain.

Our stroke assessment philosophy extends beyond standard screening and includes thorough, individualized assessments. Your care may include:

• Minimally invasive imaging tests like CT scans of the arteries (CTA) or MRI scans of the arteries (MRA) to look for signs of neurovascular disease.
• Stress tests of the brain using CT perfusion (CTP) imaging. These tests require expertise in stroke care and provide detailed information about your stroke risk.

Regular follow-up care, including assessments and imaging when necessary, enables us to meet your individual needs.

Medical stroke treatments and lifestyle recommendations

Medical treatments and lifestyle recommendations may include:

• Blood thinners: Daily aspirin or prescription blood thinners (anticoagulants) may prevent blood clots that can lead to a stroke.
• Medications for other medical conditions: We may prescribe medications to lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels if they are above the normal range.
• Referrals to specialists: If you have conditions such as sleep apnea or diabetes, we refer you to other Henry Ford specialists for treatment. If you have serious heart conditions like atrial fibrillation or congenital heart defects that raise your stroke risk, we refer you to world-renowned Henry Ford cardiologists. Our heart specialists helped develop treatments for these conditions. Find a doctor.
• Lifestyle recommendations: We discuss how smoking and a high-fat diet can put you at risk for stroke. Then we explore options for getting your health back on track. We may also refer you to our tobacco treatment services.

Preventive stroke procedures

If we detect narrowing in the blood vessels in or near the brain, you may need a procedure, such as:

• Carotid artery angioplasty and stenting: We insert a long tube (catheter) through a small incision to access narrowed arteries. Your care may then include:
  • Angioplasty, which opens the artery by inflating a special balloon at the tip of the catheter
  • A tiny mesh tube (stent) to support the blood vessel walls and prevent them from narrowing
• Carotid endarterectomy: This surgical procedure removes fatty build-ups (plaques) from the walls of the carotid artery. Removing plaques makes it easier for blood to flow to the brain.
• Intracranial artery angioplasty and stenting: We insert a long tube (catheter) through a small incision to access narrowed arteries. Your care may then include:
  • Angioplasty, which opens the brain artery by inflating a special balloon at the tip of the catheter
  • A tiny mesh tube (stent) to support the blood vessel walls and prevent them from narrowing
• Cerebral bypass: We reroute blood flow around a blocked artery using a blood vessel from another area of the body.