100% blocked C. Artery??

[aunt juju]

my mom had a right sided stroke 1-14-07, effecting her left arm and leg.  she has been in rehab and doing better.  regain a little not lot of movement.  But we just went to see a vascular surgeon on her artery.  He said she had 100% occulsion to the right and nothing could be done.  All that is going to happen has.  What I want to know is can another piece still break off and cause a second stroke?  Is there no risk with 100% or what does all that mean.  Its been 3 and 1/2 months what are her risk of another stroke on that same side????

[39-100%BRC]

Read your response 05/03/07 about 100 % blocked coronary.  What are TIA's, and what would the MRI perfusion show.
Thanks

[vega1318]

The vascular surgeon is both right and not.   The bulk of what could have happenned most likely occurred when the artery occluded.   Your brain has a unique ability to send out "sprouting" arteries to where they're most needed -- sometimes it is effective and sometimes it is not.   When it is -- you no longer have to worry about symptoms, unless other large arteries (such as the other carotid) becomes diseased and can no longer support its side as well as the opposite side.

If the sprouting process is incomplete, your mom may still be at risk for small strokes.  There are ways to find out -- you might, for example, do an MRI Perfusion study.   If you think that she's getting worse and then better sometimes, she may still be getting TIAs and may still be at risk.   There are procedures that can be done for these patients, they're mainly surgical and nobody knows which works best -- therefore, you could participate in studies, such as COSS that is run through many centers.  But you need to find out if your mom is eligible first.

If she's been doing well for the past 3 months, however, I wouldn't worry about it -- there're many people who live with one or even both carotids occluded and they don't have any symptoms whatsoever.