Correlation of Ischemic Stroke with Echocardiographic Findings in Young Patients

Background: In the management of patients with ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack, determining the source of the embolic event is critical. In 15–30 percent of all strokes, cardiogenic embolism is suspected to be the cause. In these patients, echocardiography is a frequently utilized and adaptable method that can provide full information on thromboembolic risk. The relevance of transthoracic-echocardiography(TTE) and transesophageal-cardiography(TEE) in clinical practice is discussed in this article, which analyses probable cardiac origins of stroke. Aim of this study is to determine the clinicoradiological association between ischemic stroke in young and find out the relevance of Transthoracic and Transesophageal Echocardiography in evaluation of cardiac source in ischemic stroke. Methods: This cross- sectional observational study was done between July 2020 and April 2022. A total of 31 patients of ischemic stroke were included. The mean Glasgow coma scale(GCS) and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS) score of these patients They underwent transthoracic-echocardiography followed by transesophageal-cardiography, their clinical profile has been recorded and analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), V21 software. Results: The mean age of the subjects was 34.74± 6.38 years, the group was consisting of 28 males and 3 females. The most common complaint was one sided weakness and speech difficulty. transesophageal-cardiography detected bicuspid aortic valve in one patient, right atrial thrombus in one patient and patent foramen ovale in one patient over and above transthoracic-echocardiography findings in this study. Conclusion: This study reinforces the importance of transesophageal-cardiography in stroke in young patients. transesophageal-cardiography is not only an effective tool in picking up the clots inside the cardiac chambers but also it was found to be significantly effective in detecting valvular lesions and small septal defects like patent foramen ovale. It is recommended that all strokes in young patients need to undergo transthoracic-echocardiography as well as transesophageal-cardiography to find the source and etiology of cardio embolic stroke.