Overview

Overview

Cerebrovascular diseases are conditions that affect blood flow in your brain. Many of these conditions, including stroke, require prompt, expert treatment to minimize brain damage.

Nearly 800,000 Americans experience a stroke each year. National data lists stroke as the fourth-leading cause of death and the primary cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States. But timely treatment can lessen or even reverse the effects of a stroke.

At Cleveland Clinic in Florida, our expert stroke and cerebrovascular team provides advanced, state-of-the-art care. We offer quick, specialized, minimally invasive treatments designed to offer the best possible results.

Stroke Treatment: Why Choose Cleveland Clinic in Florida

Patients who receive stroke treatment with Cleveland Clinic in Florida benefit from:

  • National recognition: Physicians who have trained at some of the nation’s most renowned institutions and have achieved national recognition for their excellence make up our teams. Learn more about our awards and rankings.
  • Stroke certification: Cleveland Clinic in Florida has multiple locations with specialized stroke certifications:
    • Indian River Hospital - Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center by The Joint Commission. American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke GOLD PLUS with Target: Stroke Honor Roll, Target:  Stroke Honor Roll Advanced Therapy and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll.
    • Martin North Hospital & Martin South Hospital ;- Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission. American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines® Stroke GOLD PLUS with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll.
    • Tradition Hospital – DNV Certified Comprehensive Stroke Center. American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines® Stroke GOLD PLUS with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus, Target: Stroke Honor Roll Advanced Therapy and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll.
    • Weston Hospital - DNV Certified Comprehensive Stroke Center. American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines® Stroke GOLD PLUS with Target: Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll, Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll and Target: Stroke Advanced Therapy Honor Roll.
  • Collaborative care: Your treatment involves collaboration among experts in neurology, radiology and imaging, neurosurgery and endovascular neurosurgery. These specialists discuss treatment for every patient and work remotely with Cleveland Clinic in Ohio specialists to care for even the most complex disorders.
  • Patient-centered approach: With every treatment plan, our goal is to find the most effective option for you. We personalize every care plan to your needs, with multiple specialists weighing in on the approach that will work best.
  • Minimally invasive treatments: Endovascular neurosurgeons specialize in minimally invasive treatments that use small tubes (catheters) and imaging to treat your brain and spine. Our team of endovascular neurosurgeons includes one of the first in the country to become board certified in these techniques.
  • Comprehensive stroke services: Our specialists offer the full array of stroke treatments, from clot-busting medications to endovascular procedures. Our endovascular neurosurgeons use all available devices to treat stroke so you have timely access to the personalized care you need. Post-stroke, specially trained neuro rehabilitation therapists help you regain cognitive function and skills.
  • Research focus: Our team is involved in research and clinical trials designed to improve cerebrovascular care. Thanks to our research efforts, we continually offer the newest treatment options.
  • Rapid response rates: When it comes to stroke, time is critical. The sooner you receive clot-busting medicine or surgical treatment, the higher your chances of a good outcome. Our median times to give clot-dissolving medication for stroke are significantly better than the national benchmarks. Additionally, our stroke surgery complication rates are well below 1%, which is significantly better than the national standard.
Cerebrovascular Disorders We Treat

Cerebrovascular Disorders We Treat

Our team treats all conditions affecting the blood vessels in your brain and spine, including:

Cerebrovascular Diagnosis

Cerebrovascular Diagnosis

A team of radiologists, neurologists and vascular specialists works to diagnose cerebrovascular diseases. We use quick, state-of-the-art imaging to diagnose stroke or other vascular problems quickly, including:

  • CT scans to detect hemorrhagic strokes in the emergency room.
  • MRIs to create detailed brain images and detect strokes within minutes of onset.
  • MR or CT angiography to visualize blood vessel blockages, aneurysms or vascular malformations.
  • Digital subtraction angiography, a type of cerebral angiography, to visualize your blood vessels clearly by digitally removing or “subtracting” bones and soft tissues from the image.
  • Transcranial doppler examination to measure blood flow through your brain’s major blood vessels.
  • Transcranial doppler bubble testing to look for an irregular opening between your heart chambers that could result in a blood clot in your brain.
  • Carotid duplex ultrasound to detect blood clots, plaque buildup or other problems in your carotid arteries, the blood vessels that send blood to your brain.

Cerebrovascular Disease Treatment

Our team works together to create an effective, personalized treatment plan. Treatment for a cerebrovascular disease may include:

  • Medication: Clot-busting medication continues to be one of the most effective treatments for stroke. Depending on the condition, we may also prescribe medicines that lower your risk of a stroke.
  • Endovascular neurosurgery: Endovascular neurosurgeons are subspecialized neurosurgeons who diagnose and treat brain and spine conditions using small catheters and imaging techniques. They send catheters through blood vessels in your wrist or groin to deliver medications and perform procedures on your brain.
  • Cerebrovascular surgery: In some cases, we may need to use open surgery to operate on a cerebrovascular condition. We use intraoperative monitoring techniques to evaluate blood flow in your brain and ensure we don’t compromise blood flow to your brain.
Our Doctors

Our Doctors

Neurointerventional Stroke Treatment

Neurointerventional Stroke Treatment

Neurointerventional stroke treatment is a quickly growing field in which endovascular neurosurgeons perform minimally invasive procedures to break up or remove clots in your brain. They insert catheters through a blood vessel in your wrist or groin to access your brain without ever opening your skull. These approaches enable us to effectively treat stroke within minutes, often completely reversing stroke symptoms.

We perform neurointerventional stroke procedures in our state-of-the-art cerebrovascular operating suites. Our team uses every available Food and Drug Administration-approved device for endovascular stroke treatment. We may use:

  • Carotid stenting, placing a small metal tube (stent) in a narrowed carotid artery to reduce the risk of recurrent stroke.
  • Clot retrieval, threading special devices through the catheter that grab and remove clots.
  • Endovascular coiling, inserting small coils into affected blood vessels to support the blood vessel and prevent additional strokes.
  • Thrombolytic therapy, sending medicines to blood vessels to dissolve blood clots in your brain.
Clinical Trials for Cerebrovascular Disease Treatment

Clinical Trials for Cerebrovascular Disease Treatment

Our stroke and cerebrovascular specialists, along with researchers at our Florida Research and Innovation Center, lead clinical trials and study the newest advances in cerebrovascular disease treatment. Talk to your doctor to see if you may be eligible to participate in a clinical trial.

Appointments & Locations

Appointments & Locations

Make an appointment at a Cleveland Clinic location in Florida or schedule a virtual visit.

Locations

Stroke Signs and Symptoms

Stroke Signs and Symptoms

Stroke requires emergency medical treatment to minimize brain damage and prevent death. It’s crucial to know the signs and symptoms of stroke so you can take immediate action. The acronym B.E.F.A.S.T. can help you remember the warning signs:

  • Balance: Are you suddenly unsteady?
  • Eyes: Are you experiencing sudden, unexplained vision loss?
  • Face: One side of your face may droop or look uneven.
  • Arm: Look for weakness in one arm.
  • Speech: Are you slurring your words?
  • Time: Call 911 immediately.

It’s important to call 911 for an ambulance — do not have someone drive you to the hospital. The faster you start stroke treatment, the lower your risk of long-term damage. When you call an ambulance, medical personnel can start treatment on the way to the emergency room.

Emergency stroke treatment

You may receive tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), a medicine that breaks up clots. Research shows that patients who receive tPA for strokes caused by blood clots have better long-term outcomes. However, you must receive tPA within three hours of the first sign of stroke.

In some cases, you may need other treatments to stop brain bleeding, including neurointerventional treatment or neurosurgery.

Stroke prevention

There’s no single strategy that prevents stroke. But you can lower your risk of a stroke with lifestyle changes. You may:

  • Achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
  • Eat a nutritious diet that’s low in sodium, saturated and trans fats.
  • Exercise regularly.
  • Limit alcohol intake and avoid smoking completely.
  • Manage medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes or high blood pressure with the help of your healthcare provider.
Outcomes

Outcomes

With a stroke, time is brain and immediate treatment to restore blood flow is crucial. Cleveland Clinic Florida offers two types of treatment for stroke:

  1. Tissue plasminogen activator-tPA – A medication to treat ischemic stroke which is administered through a vein. This drug is often called a “clot busting” medication and is administered to ischemic stroke patients who meet eligibility criteria and arrive at the hospital within 0-4.5 hours of the symptom onset.
  2. Mechanical thrombectomy – A minimally invasive clot retrieval method that involves inserting a very small catheter through an artery until blocked blood vessel is reached, a small stent retriever is deployed, the clot is captured and removed, and blood flow is restored to the brain.

A grading system is used to measure how well blood flow is restored following mechanical thrombectomy treatment. This is called a thrombolysis cerebral infarction (TICI) score. Scoring is defined as follows:

  • Grade 3 – Complete restoration of blood flow in the brain.
  • Grade 2 b – Complete restoration of blood flow, but slower than normal.
  • Grade 2 a – Partial restoration of blood flow to the brain.
  • Grade 1 – Minimal restoration of blood flow to the brain.
  • Grade 0 – No restauration of blood flow to the brain.

TICI 2b and TICI 3 are considered successful for restoring blood flow in the brain.

Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital

TICI 2b and TICI 3 are considered successful for restoring blood flow in the brain. At Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital, 100% of patients (August 2020- December 2020) who received thrombectomy treatment for stroke achieved a grade of TICI 2B or 3 compared to 76% patients studied nationally in recent clinical trial.

In addition, patients who undergo thrombectomy treatment for stroke are monitored closely for complications, specifically for serious bleeding events after the procedure. At Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital patients experienced a 0% rate of bleeding complications (August 2020 – December 2020), as compared to a 7% symptomatic intracranial- hemorrhage rate seen in a recent clinical trial.

Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital

At Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital, 95% of patients (January – December 2023) who received thrombectomy treatment for ischemic stroke achieved a grade of TICK 2B or 3 compared to 83% of patients studied nationally in a recent clinical trial.

In addition, the percentage of patient with ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion who received mechanic endovascular reperfusion therapy at Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital was 100% (January – December 2023).

Cleveland Clinic Martin Health

At Cleveland Clinic Martin Health, 96.2% of patients (January – December 2023) who received thrombectomy treatment for stroke achieved a grade of TICI 2B or 3 compared to 76% of patients studied nationally in a recent clinical trial.

In addition, patients who undergo thrombolytic/thrombectomy treatment for stroke are monitored closely for complications, specifically for serious bleeding events after the procedure. At Cleveland Clinic Martin Health, 2.7% of patients experience any bleeding complications (January – December 2023), as compared to a 7% symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage rate seen in a recent clinical trial.