The Risk of Embolic Stroke -- Another Piece of the Puzzle

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Abstract
The three disease processes responsible for most ischemic strokes are large-vessel atherothrombotic disease (accounting for about 14 percent of ischemic strokes), small-vessel atherothrombotic or lipohyalinotic disease (i.e., lacunar stroke, accounting for about 27 percent), and embolic disease (accounting for about 59 percent).1,2 Among patients with large-vessel atherothrombotic disease leading to ischemic strokes and transient cerebral ischemic attacks, two thirds have stenosis of more than 70 percent at the bifurcation of the common carotid artery.3,4 In these circumstances, properly selected symptomatic patients, and possibly also asymptomatic patients, benefit from expertly performed carotid endarterectomy. Among the other one third of . . .