Trusted Care for a Variety of Neurovascular Conditions at Dignity Health

Neurovascular conditions are diseases and disorders of the blood vessels that supply the brain and spinal cord with freshly oxygenated blood. Your nervous system depends on a constant supply of oxygen and other nutrients from this network of blood vessels, called the neurovascular system. For this reason, any problem with a blood vessel or blood flow can impair brain and nervous system function and can quickly become life threatening.

Dignity Health Neurological Institute of Northern California offers a number of state-of-the-art treatments for neurovascular conditions in Sacramento, CA and surrounding areas. Make an appointment with one of our trusted neurologists, and our team will provide personalized diagnosis and treatment with humankindness. Find a Doctor near you today.

Just a few of the neurovascular conditions we treat include:

• Arteriovenous malformation (AVM)
• Cerebral (brain) aneurysm
• Carotid artery stenosis
• Dural arteriovenous fistulas
• Epistaxis
• Headache and migraine
• Intracranial stenosis
• Stroke, including hemorrhagic stroke and ischemic stroke
• Transient ischemic attack (TIA), also called a mini-stroke
• Subarachnoid hemorrhage (brain hemorrhage, or bleeding)
• Vascular tumor (hemangioma or hemangioblastoma)

Neurovascular Conditions Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of neurovascular conditions depend on the disease or disorder. Some conditions have no symptoms. The most common signs and symptoms of a neurovascular condition often start suddenly and include:

• Numbness or muscle weakness on one side of the body
• Motor problems, including trouble grasping objects and walking
• Trouble speaking or understanding speech
• Vision problems
• Hearing problems
• Dizziness
• Loss of balance or coordination
• Severe headache
• Decreased sensation in any part of the body
• Seizures
• Nausea or vomiting
• Personality or behavioral changes

Even if your symptoms are temporary, an expert needs to evaluate them because they can be a sign of a serious problem. If you experience symptoms of stroke, call 911 immediately for emergency treatment.

What Causes Neurovascular Disease?

Certain conditions, such as AVMs, occur by chance during fetal development, but genetic factors may make you more likely to develop one. Lifestyle habits, other medical problems, and your genes affect your risk of developing other neurovascular diseases.

Risk factors for carotid artery stenosis and ischemic stroke are similar to those for heart attack and include diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, and lack of physical activity.

Expertly Treat & Prevent Neurovascular Conditions in Northern California

Treatment and prevention strategies you and your neurologist at Dignity Health may consider include:

• Medications, which helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure and reduce your risk of blood clots
• Surgery, such as carotid angioplasty and stenting or carotid endarterectomy for carotid artery stenosis
• Endovascular procedures, including coiling, to treat aneurysms and AVMs
• Microsurgical clipping, which places a metallic clip across an aneurysm or AVM to prevent bleeding

Look to your care team to help you adopt a healthy lifestyle to prevent neurovascular diseases:

• Eat a healthy, low-fat diet
• Low “bad” (LDL) cholesterol
• Quit smoking
• Exercise regularly
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Keep other health conditions, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, or diabetes, under control

Dignity Health Neurological Institute of Northern California provides care for neurovascular conditions in Sacramento, CA and surrounding areas.