In the article "Playing the Odds", Ellen, a woman in her fifties, had symptoms of a stroke. When further investigated, they found that Ellen had a small tumor growing in the dorsal horn of the brain a numb right arm, but it was merely the result of sleeping on it incorrectly. an enlarged heart resulting from years of competitive swimming a "leaky" foramen ovale that allowed mixing of blood betweent the two atria
In the article "Playing the Odds", Ellen, a woman in her fifties, had symptoms of a stroke. When further investigated, they found that Ellen had a small tumor growing in the dorsal horn of the brain a numb right arm, but it was merely the result of sleeping on it incorrectly. an enlarged heart resulting from years of competitive swimming a "leaky" foramen ovale that allowed mixing of blood betweent the two atria
Human Anatomy & Physiology (11th Edition)
11th Edition
ISBN:9780134580999
Author:Elaine N. Marieb, Katja N. Hoehn
Publisher:Elaine N. Marieb, Katja N. Hoehn
Chapter1: The Human Body: An Orientation
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 1RQ: The correct sequence of levels forming the structural hierarchy is A. (a) organ, organ system,...
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Hi Can you please help me answer this question , since I could not attach more then 2 image . Below I have attached the article first page .
I hope that will help to find the article.
Thank you !

Transcribed Image Text:In the article "Playing the Odds", Ellen, a woman in her fifties, had symptoms of a stroke. When
further investigated, they found that Ellen had
a small tumor growing in the dorsal horn of the brain
a numb right arm, but it was merely the result of sleeping on it incorrectly.
an enlarged heart resulting from years of competitive swimming
O a "leaky" foramen ovale that allowed mixing of blood betweent the two atria

Transcribed Image Text:normal, like someone crying, "Look!
A shooting star!" But you look up and
behold only night sky
TIAS can be thrombotic or embolic,
arising from clots formed in a brain
artery diseased with atherosclerotic
plaque, or from clots traveling to
the brain from the heart or arteries
"But can I still go to the Virgin
Islands?"
Ellen, 51, vivacious and trim, looked
the perfect candidate for some fun in
the sun.
"I feel fine. It was only a minute or
two," she said.
"I'm sure you're OK," I said. "But
better to do all the tests quickly in the
hospital and start treatment."
"I do everything right." She ticked
off her fingers, "I work out. I quit
smoking. I even skip birthday cake!"
"The CT scan and your lab work
look good so far."
"Do I really need to stay overnight?"
I held her shoulder. "We'll get the
MRI in a few minutes, then we need
some heart tests. It would make me
much happier if you stayed."
attack, or ministroke. "But to where?"
I rang Dr. Redder, our chief
neurologist. "My office is all booked
up," she said. "But ER's better
anyway. I can monitor her while we get
everything done." I relayed that to Bill.
"Tell her to ask for me."
DEALING IN DILEMMAS
TIAS are the devil's work-red flags
that pop up then vanish. Mechanically,
they are simple: just block any blood
vessel in the brain for a few minutes.
Clinically, they make doctors crazy,
unleashing a cascade of what-are-the-
odds dilemmas: Was that momentary
hand weakness a TIA or a carpal
tunnel flare? That spell of vertigo
upstream. If the body's clot-dissolving
system chews up the wayward clots
before neurons die, then it's a TIA. If
not, it's a stroke.
Why the urgency to test Ellen?
Because up to 1 in 10 TIAS will
progress to a full-blown stroke within
48 hours. The good news is that these
odds can be slashed through prompt
treatment with aspirin or blood
thinners, surgery for blocked carotids,
statins for high cholesterol, regimens
for smoking cessation and meds for
blood pressure control. The tempting
counterbet? Up to two-fifths of TIA
patients may never have another. But
no one knows which two-fifths
Dr. Redder came by. Compact and
wicked smart, she pulled me aside:
"The MRI is not normal. Scattered
white-matter microinfarcts. She's been
an inner-ear misfire or a clot to the
cerebellum? That blurred vision a
blocked retinal artery or a migraine?
By definition, TIA usually means by
the time you see the patient, all appears
It started with a phone call.
"Couldn't move her arm." It was my
good friend Bill. Ex-ER doc, now
in-house company physician, he is
a master at plucking rare needles of
disease from a haystack of healthy
young people.
"How long?" I asked.
"That's the funny thing. Yesterday
she was getting ready for the gym,
then couldn't move her arm. Thought
maybe she'd slept on it funny, but
realized it had been fine when she
Up to 1 in 10 TIAS will
progress to a full-blown
stroke within 48 hours.
showering small clots for a while.
Probably from the heart."
White matter is the layer just
beneath the brain's surface neurons
Region of
decreased
blood flow
(imaginatively called "gray matter").
The specks of damage were so small,
Ellen probably hadn't sensed them. But
they drew an ominous pattern.
wo
ke up. After a minute or so, the
strength came back. Today she decided
to see me. Right now she could do
30 push-ups."
Artery
temporarily
blocked
My alarm bells went off. "Send
her in."
Ischemia is a medical term describing insufficient supply
of blood to an organ. In a transient ischemic attack (TIA).
a clot temporarily interrupts blood flow in the brain.
"I know," he answered. We both
suspected TIA, a transient ischemic
If the clot does not dissolve in time, neurons die.
and the TIA progresses to a full-blown stroke.
Blood flow to brain
24 DISCOVERMAGAZINE.COM
Vital
Signs
TREATMENT IS NOT CLEAR-CUT
Dr. Redder went back to Ellen.
"The MRI shows you've probably
had similar events in the past. It's very
important we investigate where they're
coming from."
Ellen took the news quietly. After
Dr. Redder left, I added, "In healthy
people under 55 with a TIA, we don't
always find a clear explanation. But
now I'm sure you need to stay."
"What will I tell my family?"
"That we're not sure yet."
The next morning, I spied Dr.
Redder and a cardiologist talking
animatedly in the hallway.
"What?" I asked.
"TEE showed a big PFO," she said.
Translation: An echocardiogram
showed a hole in Ellen's heart. Or more
accurately, a flap.
The specks of damage
So what were the odds a PFO caused
Ellen's TIA?
were so small, Ellen
Cryptogenic strokes- those lacking
known causes like a blocked carotid
probably hadn't sensed
them. But they drew an
ominous pattern.
or heart arrhythmias like atrial
fibrillation that spawn clots-
comprise almost half of strokes in
patients under 55. In such patients,
PFOS are more common (39 percent
compared with 26 percent) and bigger
than in the general population.
The usual treatment for any
cryptogenic TIA or stroke is
cholesterol and blood pressure
reduction, if indicated, plus an
anti-platelet agent, like aspirin. Studies
have tested whether closing PFOS with
umbrella-like devices introduced into
the right atrium via the femoral vein
would help. The procedure showed no
additional benefit, but some experts
Opening between left
and right atrium
Left
atrium
Right
atrium
Left
ventricde
A FAILURE OF FUSION
From a developmental perspective;
our four-chambered heart (the right
atrium and ventricle pump venous
blood to the lungs; their more powerful
counterparts on the left side pump
oxygenated blood to the body) is a
surprisingly jury-rigged machine.
In utero, it must shunt oxygenated
Right
ventride
believe it could if medications don't
hold the line.
"I have a hole in my heart?" Ellen
exclaimed when we told her. "It's been
In a patent foramen ovale (PFO), a flap
between the two upper chambers of the heart
allows venous blood to mix with oxygenated
blood. If the blood crossing over contains
clots, these can travel up the carotid artery
to the brain.
there my whole life?"
"One in four people do to some
extent," I reassured her. "We can't be
sure the PFO caused your TIA, but the
MDI enanaete tim elate hae eneaked
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