A cerebrovascular accident (CVA) is commonly known as which condition?

• A. Aneurysm
• B. Stroke
• C. Heart attack
• D. Transient ischemic attack

Answer: (B)

Cerebrovascular accident describes a sudden loss of brain function due to disrupted blood flow to part of the brain, which is what a stroke is. This disruption can come from an ischemic event (a clot blocking a vessel) or a hemorrhagic event (a blood vessel rupturing and bleeding into brain tissue). So the term CVA is commonly used to refer to a stroke.

An aneurysm is a widened vessel that can rupture and cause bleeding, potentially leading to a hemorrhagic stroke, but the condition itself isn’t simply called a CVA. A heart attack is a myocardial infarction—damage to heart muscle from reduced blood flow, not brain tissue. A transient ischemic attack is a brief period of neurologic symptoms from temporary brain ischemia that resolves, and while it’s a warning sign for possible stroke, it is not the same as a completed stroke.