HE DEPARTMENT
OF
NEUROLOGY at the University of Minne-
sota Medical School has conducted a multifaceted study on
cerebrovascular disease over the past few years. This clini-
cal-research study has been concerned with patients who
presented a recent episode of a complete nonhemorrhagic
stroke. Approximately one-third of the patients were admitted directly
to the University of Minnesota Hospitals, while the other patients were
transferred from Hennepin County General Hospital and St. Paul
Ramsey Hospital to the University Hospitals. This report deals with
145 patients admitted to the Minnesota study between March 1962 and
June 1968.
On admission to the study, each patient underwent a routine clinical
examination and careful review of the history. The clinical status of
each stroke patient was evaluated daily. Additional procedures inchided
electroencephalogi'aphy, brachiocephalic and cerebral angiography,
psychometric and genetic studies, speech evaluation. lipid analyses,
blood coagulation studies, and the usual general laboratory profile. The
various procedures were completed within a period of one to
lvo
^veeks
after admission, usually ^vithin one week. The patients returned to the
University of Minnesota Hospitals for routine follow-up examination,
on an annual basis as a rtile. With the occasional exception of angi-
ography, the tests described above are repeated at this time.
Of the 145 patients in the study. 130 had routine 4-vessel angi-
ography. In a small number of instances not all 4 vessels were visualized,
but the clinically relevant vessels were visualized in all cases. These 130
patients were classified as follows (Table 1):