Apparently there is a time-lag between the day on which a msn suffers a coronary and the day on which he develops a stroke.
This conclusion was reached by local scientists recently after they had studied hundreds of brain arteries which they had carefully divided into age groups.
JDr. John Moossy, professor of neurology and pathology at Louisiana State University Medical School, said if their conclusion is correct, the next step will be to devise a treatment which can be used during the time-lag to help prevent the expected stroke.
For the past two years, Dr. Moossy has headed a research project which calls for the analysis and study of literally thousands of human brain arteries». collected from all sections of the world.
FROM OSLO TO CHILE Today brain arteries are being collected in Oslo, Norway, in Turin, Italy, in Guatemala City, on the island of Jamaica, in Santiago, Chile, and in New Orleans.
After the arteries are assembled they are carefully processed. Then they are dispatched to the main clearing house at Louisiana State University in New Orleans.
Dr. Moossy said at autopsy the complete blood supply to the brain is removed.
"This means removal of all arteries leading to the brain, including the carotid and vete-bral arteries which, as you know, are the two main blood vessels in the neck," the scientist explained. "These arteries are the ones which the surgeons clean out in an attempt to cure strokes in a group of specially - selected cases."
The neurologist said he and his co-workers are also studying the blood vessels inside the brain — "those blood vessels which surgeons are presently unable to repair."
"Up unnrnow we nave received 1,400 arteries from all over the world," he explained. "Since we have completed a detailed analysis of only about a quarter of these arteries, over-all conclusions are not possible at this time."
HEART ARTERIES FIRST
Dr. Moossy said about 300 of the arteries are from New Orleans.
1 'Following a close studv of
the New Orleans" material we decided that hardening of .the arteries, the cause of most strokes, gets under way much earlier in heart arteries than in brain arteries," he explained.
Dr. Moossy said he and his fellow-scientists also decided that severe disease of the heart arteries has a definite effect on brain arteries; that "if you get it in the heart mo th likl
. eventually get it in the
Our third conclusion," the physician added," is that actual strokes are more likely to occur much later in life than heart attacks.. Now if we could use this time in between— if proper treatment could be in-1 augurated following the i
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heart attack, then maybe the patient could avoid an impending stroke."
Dr. Moossy~saia it a man oi 50, with no previous history of heart disease, has a coronary, it may be too late to help his damaged heart.
HOPE TO AVOID STROKE
"But because of the time-lag it might not be too late to help him avoid a stroke," he added.
Dr. Moossy said each set of brain arteries is carefully dissected in the laboratory; that
the arteries are then graded according to age, race, sex, country of origin. A careful check is also made of the type of obstruction found within the walls of the artery, including such things as fatty deposits he added.
"We are anxious to find out, among other things, if there is any difference in hardening of the arteries in various sections
of the world," the scientist explained, "Do people in the United States, for instance, develop hardening of the arteries at an earlier age than people in Latin America? What kind of deposits are found in Norwegian arteries? What kind are found in
numan arteries; When we gel answers to some of our questions we may know more about strokes."
Dr. Moossy said his research project is being financed by funds from the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness. PHOTO: EXAMINING MATERIAL relating to a study of brain arteries is Dr. John Moossy, professor of neurology and pathology at Louisiana State University Medical School. Conclusion of the local study is that there is a time lag between the time an individual suffers a coronary and then develops a stroke.
