CVA is the third leading cause of death in the U.S.

There are nearly 800,000 incidence per year.

One in five Americans will have a CVA in their lifetime.

Over 150,000 deaths per year are associated with CVA.

75% of CVA’s occur in people over the age of 65.







Neuronal Function is a High Metabolic Activity. The Brain Requires a Continuous Delivery of Nutrients and is Anatomically Specialized to Maintain Perfusion.



The Circle of Willis



The circle of Willis is a ring- or pentagon-shaped structure of arteries located at the posterior aspect of the brain. It’s where two essential blood flow circulations for your brain connect — the internal carotid artery pathway and the vertebral artery pathway. The internal carotid arteries supply fresh, oxygen-rich blood to most of the front of your brain. The vertebral arteries do the same for most of the back of your brain.


It functions as a fail-safe. If one of the two blood vessel pathways becomes damaged, such as from a ruptured brain aneurysm or stroke, the other pathway can still provide blood flow to the affected part of your brain.







An ischemic stroke (80%) occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is blocked or reduced. This prevents brain tissue from getting oxygen and nutrients. Brain cells begin to die in minutes.

Another type of stroke is a hemorrhagic stroke. It occurs when a blood vessel in the brain leaks or bursts and causes bleeding in the brain. The blood increases pressure on brain cells and damages them.







The cerebral cortex is well organized with functional regions that are centers of various functions. Blood vessels branch to all parts of the brain leading to stereotypical ways leading to relatively predictable impairments.