The Caucasus Medical Centre is one of the few hospitals to operate a modern stroke centre based on the recommendations of the American Heart and Stroke Association, which treats not only ischaemic stroke (acute brain damage caused by impaired blood circulation), but also all injuries in the brain caused by vascular pathology. This includes the treatment of haemorrhagic strokes (bleeding in the brain), haemorrhages caused by ruptured cerebral aneurysms, and brain damage caused by vascular malformations (defects in the development of blood vessels).

The specialised stroke unit, which meets all the criteria, provides effective and timely treatment of ischaemic stroke and other cerebrovascular diseases on a 24-hour basis. The centre provides:

An innovative treatment for ischemic stroke - thrombectomy (endovascular removal of a blood clot) significantly reduces the mortality rate and improves the quality of life of stroke patients;
Thrombolysis - process of dissolution of blood clots in blood vessels by the administration of medication;
Closure of an aneurysm by the open method - clipping;
Endovascular repair of an aneurysm - with special coils;
Resection of an arteriovenous malformation;
Endovascular embolization for arteriovenous malformation.

The centre is staffed by highly qualified and experienced personnel, led by the M.D. Vladimer Tsikarishvili, a member of the American Association of Neurosurgeons. Another important requirement for the functioning of a stroke centre, he says, is accumulated experience and results. In the preceding four-year period, approximately 300 patients with vascular pathologies underwent surgical intervention (open and endovascular) at the Caucasus Medical Centre. Moreover, over the past one-year period, at least 30 patients with ischemic stroke underwent thrombolysis and/or thrombectomy.

The majority of cases of stroke are caused by various pathologies, including cardiovascular diseases and atherosclerotic damage to the main arteries. In order to facilitate the timely detection and treatment of these conditions, the stroke centre requires the mobilisation of specific human and infrastructural resources in a centralized location. Consequently, the stroke centre integrates the services of an emergency room physician, radiologist, neurologist, cardiologist, intensive care physician and neurosurgeon. To facilitate accurate diagnosis, the hospital performs a comprehensive range of diagnostic tests:

Duplex scan of blood vessels;
Echocardiography;
Computed tomography;
Magnetic resonance imaging;
Cerebral angiography;
Coronary angiography.

The Stroke Unit of the Caucasus Medical Centre provides emergency, planned and preventative treatment of all vascular diseases of the brain in accordance with modern guidelines and combines all necessary services in one place.

Eka Gamtsemlidze

Neurologist

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