Mechanical thrombectomy with or without intravenous thrombolysis is indicated in the acute treatment of ischemic strokes caused by an emergent large-vessel occlusion (ELVO) within 6 hours from ...symptom onset. However, a significant proportion of patients are referred to comprehensive stroke centers beyond this therapeutic time window. This study performed a pooled analysis of data from trials in which mechanical thrombectomy was performed beyond 6 hours from symptom onset.
We searched for randomized controlled trials that compared mechanical thrombectomy with the best medical treatment beyond 6 hours for ischemic strokes due to ELVO and reported on between 1990 and April 2018. The intervention group comprised patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy. Statistical analysis was conducted while pooling data and analyzing fixed- or random-effects models as appropriate.
Four trials involving 518 stroke patients met the eligibility criteria. There were 267 strokes treated with mechanical thrombectomy, with a median time of 10.8 hours between when the patient was last known to be well to randomization. We observed a significant difference between groups concerning the rate of functional independence at 90 days from stroke, with an absolute difference of 27.5% (odds ratio=3.33, 95% CI=1.81-6.12, p<0.001) and good recanalization (odds ratio=13.17, 95% CI=4.17-41.60, p<0.001) favoring the intervention group.
This meta-analysis confirms the efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy in selected ischemic stroke patients beyond 6 hours from symptom onset. The selection is mainly based on the limited core infarct detected by emergent assessment using neuroimaging techniques.
Acute basilar artery occlusion (BAO) is considered among the most severe medical emergencies, with very high morbidity and mortality. The aims of this study are to present 5 years experience of 12 ...centers in Lombardy region on BAO endovascular treatment and to evaluate prognostic factors that may improve clinical outcomes and recanalization rates.
Registro Endovascolare Lombardo Occlusione Basilar Artery (RELOBA) registry is a retrospective multicentric collection of patients with acute BAO who underwent endovascular treatment between 2010 and 2015. A total of 102 patients (mean age 65 years) were included. Clinical, procedural, and neuroradiological data were collected. Angiographic results (Treatment in Cerebral Ischemia scale TICI score 2b-3) were assessed by each center's interventional neuroradiologist. Good clinical outcome was considered as a modified Rankin Scale score ranging between 0 and 2 in a 3-month follow-up.
Thirty-nine percent of patients showed good clinical outcome at 3 months. Mortality rate was 30%. TICI 2b-3 was achieved in 62% of patients. Univariate analysis showed that age, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) at onset, time to recanalization, and TICI score were all statistically significant clinical outcome predictors (P < .05). Multivariate logistic regression showed that time to recanalization, age, and NIHSS at onset were significant independent predictors of good outcome.
BAO treatment needs more efforts to assure patients better clinical outcomes. Mechanical thrombectomy is feasible and effective in patients with acute BAO. These results must be confirmed by further prospective studies within randomized controlled settings.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
The combination of systemic thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy is indicated in patients with ischemic stroke due to a large vessel occlusion (LVO) and these treatments are time-dependent. Rapid ...identification of patients with suspected LVO also in a prehospital setting could influence the choice of the destination hospital. Aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the predictive role of a new stroke scale for LVO, comparing it to other scores.
All consecutive patients admitted to our comprehensive stroke center with suspected ischemic stroke were studied with a CT angiography and 5 different stroke scales were applied. The Large ARtery Occlusion (LARIO) stroke scale consists of 5 items including the assessment of facial palsy, language alteration, grip and arm weakness, and the presence of neglect. A Receiving Operating Characteristic curve was evaluated for each stroke scale to explore the level of accuracy in LVO prediction.
A total of 145 patients were included in the analysis. LVO was detected in 37.2% of patients. The Area Under Curve of the LARIO score was 0.951 (95%CI: 0.902-0.980), similar to NIHSS and higher than other scales. The cut-off score for best performance of the LARIO stroke scale was higher than 3 (positive predictive value: 77% and negative predictive value: 100%).
The LARIO stroke scale is a simple tool, showing high accuracy in detecting LVO, even if with some limitations due to some false positive cases. Its efficacy has to be confirmed in a pre-hospital setting and other centers.
Background/Objectives: Endovascular treatment (EVT) is recommended for acute ischemic stroke due to large-vessel occlusion (LVO) and an Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS) ≥ 6. Randomized ...controlled trials (RCTs) have recently become available on EVT effects in people with LVO-related large core stroke (ASPECTS 0–5). Here, we provide an updated meta-analysis of the EVT effect on functional neurological status in people with large-core stroke. Methods: The study followed the PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Central were searched for RCTs comparing EVT vs. best medical treatment (BMT) in large-core LVO stroke. The primary outcome was functional independence at 90 days (modified Rankin Scale; mRS 0–2). The secondary outcomes were symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH), good functional outcome (mRS 0–3) and excellent functional outcome (mRS 0–1). EVT vs. BMT was compared through random effect meta-analysis. Heterogeneity was assessed with the I2 and Q test and risk of bias reported according to the RoB2 tool. Results: Six RCTs were included (n = 1656 patients). All studies had a moderate risk of bias, with blinding bias due to the nature of the intervention, potential allocation bias and incomplete outcome reporting. Functional independence was significantly more frequent in the EVT vs. BMT group (OR = 2.47, 95% CI = 1.52–4.03, p < 0.001). sICH rates (OR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.01–3.11, p = 0.04) and good functional outcome (OR = 2.20; 95% CI = 1.72–2.81, p < 0.001) were more frequent in the EVT vs. BMT group, while the rates of mRS 0–1 did not differ. Conclusions: In patients with large-core stroke and LVO, EVT plus BMT as compared to BMT alone carries a significant increase in independent ambulation and good functional outcome at 3 months despite the marginal increase in sICH.
Giacomo Torno was born in 1539 (or 1541) in Naples. At the age of 18 he joined the Clerics Regular Theatines in San Paolo Maggiore and was welcomed on 30 October 1558. He suffered a stroke on 4 ...December 1608 and died 45 days later. Contemporary sources report that he appeared to be tormented by the devil during his illness, tormented by constant spasms in his arm, which caused him great discomfort. During the analysis of his mummified body, a discontinuity of the skin surface at the level of the sacrum was discovered. All morphological features indicate a wound that developed during the subject’s life. Based on historical sources, the fracture of the first coccygeal vertebra, the appearance of the lesion near death, and the shape of the lesion, it appears that this is the first recorded instance of the Kennedy terminal ulcer, identified through both direct and indirect sources
Full text
Available for:
IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) is a common postnatal defect of cardiac atrial septation. A certain degree of familial aggregation has been reported. Animal studies suggest the involvement of the Notch ...pathway and other cardiac transcription factors (GATA4, TBX20, NKX2-5) in Foramen Ovale closure. This review evaluates the contribution of genetic alterations in PFO development. We systematically reviewed studies that assessed rare and common variants in subjects with PFO. The protocol was registered with PROSPERO and followed MOOSE guidelines. We systematically searched English studies reporting rates of variants in PFO subjects until the 30th of June 2021. Among 1231 studies, we included four studies: two of them assessed the
gene, the remaining reported variants of chromosome 4q25 and the
S377G variant, respectively. We did not find any variant associated with PFO, except for the rs2200733 variant of chromosome 4q25 in atrial fibrillation patients. Despite the scarceness of evidence so far, animal studies and other studies that did not fulfil the criteria to be included in the review indicate a robust genetic background in PFO. More research is needed on the genetic determinants of PFO.
Background Women are underrepresented in stroke thrombectomy trials, and the impact of sex differences in outcomes after stroke thrombectomy is unclear. We performed a multicenter propensity matching ...study to define sex‐related differences in outcome after endovascular thrombectomy and integrated results in a meta‐analysis. Methods We included patients with anterior circulation large vessel occlusion consecutively treated with thrombectomy at 2 Comprehensive Stroke Centres (2016–2023). Selection criteria reflected international guidelines. Through systematic review we selected all studies reporting endovascular thrombectomy outcomes in anterior circulation large vessel occlusion stroke, applying propensity score matching. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane CENTRAL were searched up to August 15, 2023 according to predefined protocol (OSF.io/je3da). Data were extracted by 2 independent raters, pooled estimates calculated according to random‐effect modeling meta‐analysis and reported as odds ratio (OR) and standard 95% CI. Outcomes were good functional outcome, defined as modified Rankin Scale score 0–2 at 90 days after stroke, and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, adjudicated according to European Cooperative Acute Stroke Study II criteria. Results After matching, 698 patients (349 women versus 349 men) had similar cardiovascular risk factors, baseline features, and treatment approach. No significant differences were found for good functional outcome (OR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.66–1.2) and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (OR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.44–2.26) in the cohort study by sex. Systematic review identified 3 studies (n = 3706), all of high quality. No differences emerged in rates of good functional outcome (OR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.79–1.21) or symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.60–1.19) depending on sex. Conclusion Women receiving endovascular thrombectomy for anterior circulation large vessel occlusion related stroke have similar rates of good functional outcome and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage compared to men.
Few studies have focused on elderly (>80 years) amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, who represent a fragile subgroup generally not included in clinical trials and often neglected because ...they are more difficult to diagnose and manage. We analyzed the clinical and genetic features of very late-onset ALS patients through a prospective, population-based study in the Emilia Romagna Region of Italy. From 2009 to 2019, 222 (13.76%) out of 1613 patients in incident cases were over 80 years old at diagnosis, with a female predominance (F:M = 1.18). Elderly ALS patients represented 12.02% of patients before 2015 and 15.91% from 2015 onwards (
= 0.024). This group presented with bulbar onset in 38.29% of cases and had worse clinical conditions at diagnosis compared to younger patients, with a lower average BMI (23.12 vs. 24.57 Kg/m
), a higher progression rate (1.43 vs. 0.95 points/month), and a shorter length of survival (a median of 20.77 vs. 36 months). For this subgroup, genetic analyses have seldom been carried out (25% vs. 39.11%) and are generally negative. Finally, elderly patients underwent less frequent nutritional- and respiratory-supporting procedures, and multidisciplinary teams were less involved at follow-up, except for specialist palliative care. The genotypic and phenotypic features of elderly ALS patients could help identify the different environmental and genetic risk factors that determine the age at which disease onset occurs. Since multidisciplinary management can improve a patient's prognosis, it should be more extensively applied to this fragile group of patients.
Full text
Available for:
IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Increased incidence rates of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have been recently reported across various Western countries, although geographic and temporal variations in terms of incidence, ...clinical features and genetics are not fully elucidated. This study aimed to describe demographic, clinical feature and genotype-phenotype correlations of ALS cases over the last decade in the Emilia Romagna Region (ERR). From 2009 to 2019, our prospective population-based registry of ALS in the ERR of Northern Italy recorded 1613 patients receiving a diagnosis of ALS. The age- and sex-adjusted incidence rate was 3.13/100,000 population (M/F ratio: 1.21). The mean age at onset was 67.01 years; women, bulbar and respiratory phenotypes were associated with an older age, while C9orf72-mutated patients were generally younger. After peaking at 70-75 years, incidence rates, among women only, showed a bimodal distribution with a second slight increase after reaching 90 years of age. Familial cases comprised 12%, of which one quarter could be attributed to an ALS-related mutation. More than 70% of C9orf72-expanded patients had a family history of ALS/fronto-temporal dementia (FTD); 22.58% of patients with FTD at diagnosis had C9orf72 expansion (OR 6.34,
= 0.004). In addition to a high ALS incidence suggesting exhaustiveness of case ascertainment, this study highlights interesting phenotype-genotype correlations in the ALS population of ERR.
Rhabdomyolysis is an uncommon complication of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Previous reports have described its management and treatment in medical units, but have not discussed ...confirmatory tests or differential diagnosis. We report a case of a 58 year-old male patient, who was admitted for COVID-19 pneumonia and subsequently developed severe weakness, inability to move limbs, acute renal failure, significantly elevated myoglobin and creatinine kinase, and was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis. Continuous renal replacement therapy, the treatment modality of choice over hyperhydration due to ongoing mechanical ventilation, was effective in resolving symptoms. No direct viral invasion of muscles was noted on biopsy. Here, we describe his symptoms, electromyography, and muscular biopsy results, and further discuss the possible differential diagnoses. Neuromuscular symptoms related to COVID-19 require careful clinical analysis. In addition, detailed reports of patients’ course of illness and diagnoses will assist in improving care for affected patients.
PDF
