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: 10/10/2024)
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  • 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.