Clinical polymorphism of cerebrovascular disease in pathology of the brachio-cephalic arteries

Abstract

Cerebrovascular diseases are the most important cause of morbidityand mortality from cardiovascular disease among adults.Generalized atherosclerosis is the most frequent basis for vascularlesions of the brain, leading to the development of acute and chronicdisorders of cerebral circulation. Polymorphism of clinical symptomscaused not only by lesions of the brachio-cephalic arteries, butalso by simultaneous involvement in the variable-degree atheroscleroticrocess of other vessels, is often responsible for diagnostic difficulties.In the paper, a number of case reports describing patientswith advanced atherosclerotic lesions of different vascular systemsand marked variability of clinical manifestations are presented.Discussed are questions of rational diagnosis and general approachesto treatment of atherosclerosis, as well as questions of asymptomaticbrachio-cephalic stenosis, silent brain infarcts and risk factorsfor atherosclerosis.

Keywords

• atherosclerosis
• brachio-cephalic arteries
• clinical polymorphism
• asymptomatic stenosis
• "silent" brain infarcts brain infarcts