Mind the heart: Embolic sources of stroke along the heart-brain axis

The aim of this thesis is to improve detection of embolic sources of ischemic stroke along the heart-brain axis. The structure of the thesis follows this anatomical pathway.
In the first part of this thesis (The Heart), we focused on sources of embolism from the heart which are detected through imaging. We performed three studies on the diagnostic yield of cardiac CT-angiography for detection of high-risk cardio-aortic sources of embolism in acute ischemic stroke patients. In the second part of this thesis (The Arteries), we explored (rare) sources of embolism from the arteries in an effort to increase awareness in the medical community. We conducted studies in ischemic stroke patients with an underlying acute aortic dissection, multiple cervical artery dissections, and a carotid web. In addition, we investigated the hypothesis that patients with ischemic stroke due to cervical carotid atherosclerosis have a more extensive collateral circulation and better outcomes than patients with cardioembolism.