Definition of Stroke

A stroke is called a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) and is defined as sudden death of brain cells due to lack of oxygen.

A magnifying glass showing a head with the brain inside

There are two kinds of stroke: brain infarction, resulting from a blockage in blood vessels supplying blood to the brain, and brain hemorrhage, resulting from a rupture in a weakened blood vessel in the brain. You can read more in Classification of stroke.