US Medical Term · conditions
Stroke
Accidente cerebrovascular
Also: Derrame cerebral (regional variant)
What it means
A stroke happens when there is a loss of blood flow to part of the brain. Brain cells cannot get the oxygen and nutrients they need from blood, and they start to die within a few minutes. There are two types: an ischemic stroke is caused by a blood clot that blocks or plugs a blood vessel in the brain, and a hemorrhagic stroke is caused by a blood vessel that breaks and bleeds into the brain. Symptoms often happen quickly and include sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body, and sudden trouble speaking. A stroke is also called a cerebrovascular accident or CVA. If you think that you or someone else is having a stroke, call 911 right away.
Stroke in Spanish
- Spanish term
- Accidente cerebrovascular
- Gender and article
- masculine: el accidente cerebrovascular
- Pronunciation
- ahk-see-DEN-teh seh-reh-broh-bahs-koo-LAR
| Other Spanish terms | Where it is used | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ACV | General | Abbreviation; MedlinePlus en español lists it under "Otros nombres", and the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary gives it as another name. |
| derrame cerebral | General | Listed under "Otros nombres" by MedlinePlus en español, which also uses it in the text of its page. |
| ataque cerebral | General | MedlinePlus en español uses it beside the headword in the first sentence of its page. |
| ictus | General | Headword of the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary entry, which gives accidente cerebrovascular, ACV, apoplejía, ataque cerebral and derrame cerebral as other names. |
Accidente cerebrovascular is the title of the MedlinePlus en español page, and the noun is masculine: un accidente cerebrovascular. Spanish has several names for the same event. MedlinePlus en español lists accidente cerebral, ACV, apoplejía, ataque cerebral, derrame cerebral and infarto cerebral under "Otros nombres", and the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary enters the term as ictus. The same dictionary's English entry gives "cerebrovascular accident" and "CVA" as other names for stroke.
The two types are accidente cerebrovascular isquémico (ischemic) and accidente cerebrovascular hemorrágico (hemorrhagic). A transient ischemic attack is an ataque isquémico transitorio, which MedlinePlus en español says is sometimes called a mini derrame. Its encyclopedia uses embolia cerebral for one way an ischemic stroke happens, when a clot travels to the brain. For a suspected stroke the page says to call 911 right away; in Spanish, llame al 911 de inmediato.
Phrases for an appointment
What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:
| Who | English | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| Patient | Call 911 right away! I think my mother is having a stroke. | ¡Llame al 911 de inmediato! Creo que mi madre está teniendo un derrame cerebral. |
| Patient | One side of her face is drooping and her speech is slurred. | Tiene un lado de la cara caído y habla arrastrando las palabras. |
| Clinician | What time did the symptoms start? | ¿A qué hora empezaron los síntomas? |
| Clinician | Please raise both arms. Can you smile for me? | Por favor, levante los dos brazos. ¿Puede sonreír? |
| Patient | My right arm and leg suddenly feel weak and numb. | De repente siento débiles y entumecidos el brazo y la pierna del lado derecho. |
| Clinician | We are going to do a CT scan of your brain right now. | Vamos a hacerle una tomografía computarizada del cerebro ahora mismo. |
| Clinician | Have you ever had a stroke or a transient ischemic attack? | ¿Ha tenido alguna vez un accidente cerebrovascular o un ataque isquémico transitorio? |
| Patient | Was it a stroke? When does rehabilitation start? | ¿Fue un accidente cerebrovascular? ¿Cuándo empieza la rehabilitación? |
In 9 languages
| Language | Term |
|---|---|
| English | Stroke |
| Spanish (Español) | Accidente cerebrovascular |
| Chinese (中文) | 中風 |
| Korean (한국어) | 뇌졸중 |
| Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) | Đột quỵ |
| Filipino (Tagalog) | Stroke |
| Portuguese (Português) | Acidente vascular cerebral |
| Thai (ภาษาไทย) | โรคหลอดเลือดสมอง |
| Japanese (日本語) | 脳卒中 |
Where you'll see it
Related ICD-10-CM category
ICD-10-CM code: I63 → Cerebral infarctionRelated terms
Your right to an interpreter in the United States
If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.
You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»
More terms: Heart and circulation
All terms in this area: Heart and circulation — Corazón y circulación
Sources
- Stroke — MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine
- Accidente cerebrovascular — MedlinePlus en español, Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina
- Accidente cerebrovascular (Enciclopedia médica) — MedlinePlus en español, Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina
- ictus — Diccionario de cáncer del NCI — Instituto Nacional del Cáncer (NIH)
- stroke — NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms — National Cancer Institute (NIH)
- Limited English Proficiency (LEP): Your Right to Language Assistance Services — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights
This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.
Last reviewed: October 7, 2026