Lesion patterns may predict prognosis after acute ischemic stroke within the middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory; yet it remains unclear whether such imaging prognostic factors are related to ...patient outcome after intravenous thrombolysis.
The aim of this study is to investigate the clinical outcome after intravenous thrombolysis in acute MCA ischemic strokes with respect to diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) lesion patterns.
Consecutive acute ischemic stroke cases of the MCA territory treated over a 7-year period were retrospectively analyzed. All acute MCA stroke patients underwent a MRI scan before intravenous thrombolytic therapy was included. DWI lesions were divided into 6 patterns (territorial, other cortical, small superficial, internal border zone, small deep, and other deep infarcts). Lesion volumes were measured by dedicated imaging processing software. Favorable outcome was defined as modified Rankin scale (mRS) of 0-2 at 90 days.
Among the 172 patients included in our study, 75 (43.6%) were observed to have territorial infarct patterns or other deep infarct patterns. These patients also had higher baseline NIHSS score (p < 0.001), a higher proportion of large cerebral artery occlusions (p < 0.001) and larger infarct volume (p < 0.001). Favorable outcome (mRS 0-2) was achieved in 89 patients (51.7%). After multivariable analysis, groups with specific lesion patterns, including territorial infarct and other deep infarct pattern, were independently associated with favorable outcome (OR 0.40; 95% CI 0.16-0.99; p = 0.047).
Specific lesion patterns predict differential outcome after intravenous thrombolysis therapy in acute MCA stroke patients.
The influence of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) on post-thrombolytic hemorrhagic transformation (HT) in patients with acute ischemic stroke remains controversial.
To investigate the association of CMBs ...with HT and clinical outcomes among patients with large-vessel occlusion strokes treated with mechanical thrombectomy.
We analyzed patients with acute stroke treated with Merci Retriever, Penumbra system or stent-retriever devices. CMBs were identified on pretreatment T2-weighted, gradient-recall echo MRI. We analyzed the association of the presence, burden, and distribution of CMBs with HT, procedural complications, in-hospital mortality, and clinical outcome.
CMBs were detected in 37 (18.0%) of 206 patients. Seventy-three foci of microbleeds were identified. Fourteen patients (6.8%) had ≥2 CMBs, only 1 patient had ≥5 CMBs. Strictly lobar CMBs were found in 12 patients, strictly deep CMBs in 12 patients, strictly infratentorial CMBs in 2 patients, and mixed CMBs in 11 patients. There were no significant differences between patients with CMBs and those without CMBs in the rates of overall HT (37.8% vs 45.6%), parenchymal hematoma (16.2% vs 19.5%), procedure-related vessel perforation (5.4% vs 7.1%), in-hospital mortality (16.2% vs 18.3%), and modified Rankin Scale score 0-3 at discharge. CMBs were not independently associated with HT or in-hospital mortality in patients treated with either thrombectomy or intravenous thrombolysis followed by thrombectomy.
Patients with CMBs are not at increased risk for HT and mortality following mechanical thrombectomy for acute stroke. Excluding such patients from mechanical thrombectomy is unwarranted. The risk of HT in patients with ≥5 CMBs requires further study.
Cellular phone conversations between on-scene patients or their legally authorized representatives (LARs) and off-scene enrolling physician-investigators require immediate and reliable connection ...systems to obtain explicit informed research consent in prehospital treatment trials.
The NIH Field Administration of Stroke Therapy-Magnesium (FAST-MAG) Trial implemented a voice-over-internet protocol (VOIP) simultaneous ring system (multiple investigator cell phones called simultaneously and first responder connected to call) to enable physician-investigators to elicit consent immediately from competent patients or LARs encountered by 228 ambulances enrolling patients in a multicenter prehospital stroke trial. For 1 month, the number, origin, duration, and yield of enrolling line calls were monitored prospectively.
Six investigators were connected to 106 enrolling line calls, with no identified unanswered calls. Thirty-five percent of new patient calls yielded an enrollment. The most common reasons for non-enrollment were last known well >2 h (n = 7) and unconsentable patient without LAR available (n = 7). No non-enrollments were directly attributable to the VOIP system. In enrollments, consent was provided by the patient in 67% and a LAR in 33%. The duration of enrollment calls (mean +/- SD: 8.4 +/- 2.5 min, range 6-14) was longer than non-enrollment calls (5.5 +/- 3.5, range 2-13; p < 0.001). The median interval from last known well to study agent start was 46 min, and 70% were enrolled within 60 min of onset.
The simultaneous ring system was reliable and effective, permitting enrollment of a substantial number of patients within the first hour after stroke onset. VOIP cellular networks with simultaneous ring are a preferred means of facilitating consent in prehospital treatment trials.
Conventional analysis of vascular prevention trials assigns equal weight to disparate vascular events in a composite end point at variance with the public's perception of their differential impact on ...health outcome. This study sought to apply the disability-adjusted life-year (DALY) metric to differential weighting individual vascular end points in trial analyses.
DALY values for the most common major end points in vascular prevention trials (nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, and vascular death), were derived by using World Health Organization Global Burden of Disease Project methodology. The standardized DALYs for each event were applied to recent major primary and secondary vascular prevention trials and to hypothetical model trials.
Standardized DALYs lost were 7.63 for nonfatal stroke, 5.14 for nonfatal myocardial infarction, and 11.59 for vascular death. In the published trials analyses, the direction of treatment effects was consistent between DALY and standard event analysis, but the rank order of treatment effect changed for 10 of 18 trials. The DALY analysis also permitted derivation of number-needed-to-treat values to gain 1 DALY: 2.1 for anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation, 2.7 for carotid endarterectomy in symptomatic stenosis, and 4.7 for clopidogrel added to aspirin in acute coronary syndrome. Hypothetical trial analyses demonstrated that the DALY metric more finely discriminates treatment effects.
Compared with a nonfatal myocardial infarction, a nonfatal stroke causes a 1.48-fold greater loss and vascular death a 2.25-fold greater loss of DALY. DALY analysis integrates these valuations in a summary metric reflecting the net impact of therapy on patient and societal health, complementing conventional end point analyses.
To investigate whether anterior choroidal artery (AChA) territory sparing or AChA infarction restricted to the medial temporal lobe (MT), implying good collateral status, predicts good outcome, ...defined as modified Rankin Scale 0-2, at discharge in acute internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion.
The authors studied consecutive patients with acute ICA occlusion admitted to an academic medical centre between January 2002 and August 2010, who underwent MRI followed by conventional angiography. The pattern of AChA involvement on initial diffusion-weighted imaging was dichotomised as spared or MT only versus other partial or full. The association of AChA infarct patterns and good outcome at discharge was calculated by multivariate logistic regression with adjustment.
For the 60 patients meeting entry criteria, mean age was 68.3 years and median admission NIH Stroke Scale score was 19. AChA territory was spared or restricted to the MT in 27 patients and other partially involved or fully involved in 33 patients. AChA territory spared or ischaemia restricted to MT only, compared with other partial infarct patterns or full infarct, was independently associated with good discharge outcome (44.4% vs 12.1%, OR 7.24, 95% CI 1.32 to 39.89, p=0.023).
In acute ICA occlusion, the absence of AChA infarction or restriction to the MT is an independent predictor of good discharge outcome. Analysis of AChA infarct patterns may improve early prognostication and decision-making.
Background Current guidelines do not define the lower severity threshold for thrombolysis. In this study, we describe the variability of treatment of mild stroke patients across a network of academic ...stroke centers. Methods Stroke centers within the Specialized Program of Translational Research in Acute Stroke (SPOTRIAS) prospectively collect data on patients treated with intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (IV rt-PA), including demographics, pretreatment National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores, and in-hospital mortality. We examined the variability in proportion of total tissue plasminogen activator–treated patients in the NIHSS categories (0-3, 4-5, or ≥6) and associated outcomes. Results A total of 2514 patients with reported NIHSS scores were treated with IV rt-PA between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2009. The proportion of patients with mild stroke (NIHSS scores of 0-3) who were treated with IV rt-PA varied substantially across the centers (2.7-18.0%; P < .001). There were 5 deaths in the 256 treated with an NIHSS score of 0-3 (2.0%). The proportion of treated patients across the network with an NIHSS score of 0 to 3 increased from 4.8% in 2005 to 10.7% in 2009 ( P = .001). Conclusions There is substantial variability in the proportion of treated patients who have mild stroke across the SPOTRIAS centers, reflecting a paucity of data on how to best treat patients with mild stroke. Randomized trial data for this group of patients are needed to clarify the use of rt-PA in patients with the mildest strokes.
Background Higher levels of serum bilirubin may offer a therapeutic advantage in oxidative stress-mediated diseases, but may also simply reflect intensity of oxidative stress. Little is known about ...the role of bilirubin in stroke. We assessed the relation of serum bilirubin levels with clinical presentation and outcomes among patients hospitalized with ischemic stroke. Methods Data were collected prospectively during a 5-year period on consecutive ischemic stroke admissions to a university hospital. Serum bilirubin levels, total (Tbil) and direct (Dbil), were measured on admission. Presenting stroke severity was assessed with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). Functional outcome at discharge was assessed using the modified Rankin scale. Results Among 743 patients, mean age was 67.3 years and 47.5% were women. Median presenting NIHSS score was 4, and 24% had a poor (modified Rankin scale 4-6) functional outcome at discharge. Higher Dbil levels were associated with greater stroke severity ( P = .001) and poorer discharge outcome ( P = .034). Multivariable regression analyses showed that those with higher Dbil levels (≥0.4 mg/dL) had significantly greater admission NIHSS scores compared with those with lower levels (≤0.1 mg/dL) (odds ratio 2.79, 95% confidence interval 1.25-6.20, P = .012), but no independent relationship was confirmed between Dbil and discharge outcome. Although higher admission Tbil was associated with greater stroke severity in crude analyses ( P = .003), no independent relationship between Tbil versus stroke severity or outcome was noted after adjusting for confounders. Conclusions Higher Dbil level is associated with greater stroke severity but not outcome among ischemic stroke patients, possibly reflecting the intensity of initial oxidative stress. Further study into the underlying pathophysiology of this relationship is needed.
Background: A common dilemma in acute ischemic stroke management is whether to pursue recanalization therapy in patients with large vessel occlusions but minimal neurologic deficits. We describe and ...report preliminary experience with a provocative maneuver, i.e. 90-degree elevation of the head of bed for 30 min, which stresses collaterals and facilitates decision-making. Methods: A prospective cohort study of <7.5 h of acute anterior circulation territory ischemia patients with minimal deficits despite middle cerebral artery (MCA) or internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusive disease. Results: Five patients met the study entry criteria. Their mean age was 78.4 years (range 65-93). All presented with substantial deficits (median NIHSS score 11, range 5-22), but improved while in supine position during initial imaging to normal or near-normal (NIHSS score 0-2). MRA showed persistent M1 MCA occlusions in 4, critical ICA stenosis or occlusion in 1, and substantial perfusion-diffusion mismatch in all. To evaluate the potential for eventual collateral failure, patients were placed in a head of bed upright posture. Mean arterial pressure and heart rate were unchanged. Two showed no neurologic worsening and were treated with supportive care with excellent final outcome. Three showed worsening, including recurrent hemiparesis and aphasia at the 6th, recurrent aphasia at the 23rd, and recurrent hemineglect at the 15th upright minute. These 3 underwent endovascular recanalization therapies with successful reperfusion and excellent final outcome. Conclusion: The ‘Heads Up' test may be a useful, simple maneuver to assess the risk of collateral failure and guide the decision to pursue recanalization therapy in acute cerebral ischemia patients with minimal deficits despite persisting large cerebral artery occlusion.
The feasibility of implementing an expert consensus guideline recommending use of a stroke patient's profile to manage undiagnosed coronary artery disease remains unclear.
Following a guideline-based ...algorithm, we screened consecutive patients with ischemic stroke and patients with transient ischemic attack for asymptomatic coronary artery disease using the Framingham Heart Study Coronary Risk Score (FCRS) cutoff of high risk (> or = 20%) for experiencing a hard coronary artery disease event over a 10-year period. Patients with high FCRS received dobutamine stress echocardiogram outpatient screening, additional treatment (beta-blocker), or further management (cardiologist referral).
From July 2004 to September 2007, among 693 patients, 501 (72%) met study criteria, of which 80 (16%) had FCRS > or = 20%. Elevated serum glucose, nonhigh-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, homocysteine, glycosylated hemoglobin as well as large vessel atherosclerotic stroke mechanism were more frequent in high versus low FCRS patients (P<0.05). Among high FCRS patients, 35 (44%) had dobutamine stress echocardiogram performed. Leading reasons for dobutamine stress echocardiogram nonperformance were patient noncompliance (42%) and primary care physician refusal (33%).
Screening for coronary artery disease risk using FCRS is feasible in hospitalized patients with stroke, but outpatient adherence to stress testing is challenging largely due to patient and primary care physician-related factors.
Objectives: Some acute stroke patients with intracranial arterial occlusion have concomitant extracranial carotid artery occlusion or high-grade stenosis. Emergency carotid artery stenting (CAS) is a ...potentially effective treatment option to enhance intracranial reperfusion for these patients, yet selection of optimal candidates for this procedure remains elusive.Methods: We analyzed clinical data of patients who underwent emergency CAS in the setting of acute endovascular recanalization from 2005 to 2012. Reperfusion was graded with modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (mTICI) scale. Clinical outcomes were assessed by modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 90 days.Results: 23 patients were included with mean age of 64.2 years, median admission NIHSS score of 20. The median initial Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI-ASPECTS) was 7. 18 patients (78.3%) had internal carotid artery occlusion at the origin. 19 patients (82.6%) had intracranial tandem arterial occlusions. All patients successfully underwent CAS and 14 patients (60.9%) underwent additional mechanical thrombectomy. Nine patients (39.1%) were mTICI grade ≥2b. Hemorrhagic transformation with parenchymal hematoma (PH) occurred in nine patients (39.1%). At follow-up, six patients (26.1%) had a favorable outcome (mRS 0-2). The multiple logistic model yielded age (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.02, 1.41, P = 0.03) and initial DWI-ASPECTS (OR 0.25, 95% CI 0.07, 0.92, P = 0.04) independently associated with an unfavorable outcome (mRS 3-6) and additional mechanical thrombectomy (OR 2.5, P = 0.005) was associated with PH.Conclusions: Endovascular recanalization with emergency CAS is technically feasible. Further refinement of patient selection may reduce postprocedural hemorrhaghic transformation and optimize resultant clinical outcomes.
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