Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease

Stroke can deprive your brain of oxygen and cause life-altering complications within minutes. Trinity Health Michigan offers timely access to emergency care and recovery services that give you the best chances for healing. Our ability to start high-quality care the moment a patient arrives places some of our programs among the nation’s best.

We also deliver services that help people with weak, clogged or leaky brain blood vessels (cerebrovascular disease) avoid stroke. We detect and treat a broad range of conditions using sophisticated techniques that are not widely available.

Nationally Recognized Stroke Care

Trinity Health Michigan delivers comprehensive stroke care available 24 hours a day. An expert team of vascular neurologists, nurses, radiologists and others comes together within minutes. We quickly pinpoint the stroke type and location and deliver the appropriate therapies to restore blood flow.

Our commitment to stroke care excellence has earned our hospitals prestigious recognition from:

U.S. News & World Report: High Performing Stroke program
American Heart Association and American Stroke Association: Get with the Guidelines^®
Advanced Stroke Certifications:
- Comprehensive Stroke Center
- Primary Stroke Center
- Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center
- Acute Stroke Ready Center

Stroke Recovery

Your recovery starts in an area of our inpatient neuroscience unit dedicated to stroke patients. Specially trained nurses provide around-the-clock monitoring to help your recovery stay on track. One of our vascular neurologists checks in on you daily and is available on short notice if needed.

When it’s safe to leave the hospital, our team makes your transition to outpatient care as smooth as possible. Our stroke coordinator explains the next steps of treatment, which often include rehabilitation and visits to our stroke follow-up clinic. You also benefit from a nurse navigator who helps you make appointments and answers questions.

Stroke Treatment and Recovery (PDF, 108MB)

Stroke Rehabilitation and Support

Stroke can bring changes to your abilities that may be temporary or permanent. These may affect your ability to talk, walk or complete everyday tasks, like getting dressed. Our rehabilitative services help you regain function. We offer inpatient, outpatient and intensive day programs. Explore neurorehabilitation.

You receive the services and support you need to live the best possible quality of life. Neuro-palliative care helps you cope with lingering symptoms and major changes that a stroke can bring. We also run stroke support groups where you can talk to and learn from other survivors. These are some of the many specialized neurology services and support we offer.

Cerebrovascular Disease

Trinity Health Michigan delivers comprehensive cerebrovascular disease care that helps more people avoid stroke. We detect issues affecting blood flow to the brain and treat them using minimally invasive techniques whenever possible.

Our team includes nationally renowned neurointerventional radiologists. These experts use real-time imaging and advanced techniques to assess and treat cerebrovascular disorders. The team also includes neurosurgeons, neurologists and other specialists who work together to deliver exceptional care.

Stroke Prevention Services

Cerebrovascular disease services that can help you avoid a stroke include:

Neurodiagnostics

We offer a full range of diagnostic tests, including advanced options like magnetic resonance angiography for aneurysms. This procedure enables us to evaluate blood vessel walls in ways that are not possible with other techniques. Find out more about our neurodiagnostic capabilities.

Lifestyle Changes and Medications

Early-stage cerebrovascular disease may get better with lifestyle changes. These include eating a healthy diet, reducing daily stress and quitting tobacco. The American Heart Association outlines all of Life's Essential 8 behaviors to live a healthier lifestyle.

Medications may also improve the chances of certain conditions, like aneurysms healing on their own. Some people also benefit from blood pressure medications and blood thinners. Learn more about Life's Essential 8.

Procedures

If lifestyle changes or medications are not successful, you may need a procedure. Our experts repair blood vessels to improve blood flow to the brain and lower your stroke risk. Care may involve reinforcing blood vessels and closing off abnormal ones.

Neurointerventional radiologists deliver treatments using long thin tubes (catheters) we advance through tiny incisions. This minimally invasive technique is known as endovascular brain surgery. Our team also includes trusted neurosurgeons who use traditional open surgery to care for patients who cannot have endovascular procedures. Find out more about neurosurgery.

Types of Cerebrovascular Disease and Stroke We Treat

Conditions we treat include:

Arteriovenous malformation (AVM): Abnormal tangle of arteries in veins that can divert oxygen-rich blood away from the brain
Brain aneurysm: Bulge in a blood vessel wall due to a weak spot that can leak blood or rupture, causing a brain bleed
Carotid artery disease: Fatty deposits (plaques) build up in the blood vessels supplying the brain and neck
Cerebrovascular tumor: Abnormal growth in the blood vessels that supply the brain
Intracranial atherosclerotic disease: Advanced form of coronary artery disease in which plaques limit blood flow to the brain
Ischemic stroke: The more common form of stroke, which happens when a clogged artery cuts off blood flow to the brain
Hemorrhagic stroke: Blood flow disruption due to an aneurysm rupture

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