Lack of adequate blood flow. Lack of adequate blood flow. Cerebral ischaemia may be focal when the territory of a particular vessel is affected, or may be generalized when a heart attack is the cause.
The rapid recovery from neurological deficit after a stroke is often attributed to the recovery of function of the cells in this area of partial cerebral ischemia or the ischemic penumbra. Alterations in tissue water and electrolytes and edema in trauma and ischemia are responsible for some of the early changes in first-stage recovery. Some of the pharmacological treatment of initial trauma is an attempt to control cerebral edema.