UMEM Educational Pearls

Category: Neurology

Title: Common Ischemic Stroke Lesions

Keywords: ischemic stroke, basal ganglia, internal capsule (PubMed Search)

Posted: 12/24/2008 by Aisha Liferidge, MD (Updated: 5/8/2024)
Click here to contact Aisha Liferidge, MD

The most common anatomical locations for ischemic stroke are in the internal capsule and the basal ganglia.
Look for hypodensity (i.e. darkening which suggests edema) in these parts of the brain on CT when trying to locate areas of stroke.
Acute stroke typically takes at least 3 hours to manifest in the form of edema on Head CT. The larger the stroke, the quicker the abnormality is seen.