Cryptogenic stroke

BackgroundNationwide data on patients with cryptogenic stroke (CS) are lacking. We evaluated patient and hospital characteristics, in-hospital treatments, and discharge outcomes among patients with CS compared with other subtypes in the Get With The Guidelines (GWTG)-Stroke registry.MethodsWe identified patients with ischemic stroke (IS) admitted to GWTG-Stroke participating hospitals between January 1, 2016, and September 30, 2017, with documented National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scale and stroke etiology (cardioembolic [CE], large artery atherosclerosis [LAA], small vessel occlusion [SVO], other determined etiology [OTH], or CS). Using multivariable logistic regression, we compared hospital treatments and discharge outcomes by subtype, adjusted for patient and hospital characteristics.ResultsAmong 316,623 patients from 1,687 hospitals, there were 63,301 (20.0%) patients with CS. In multivariable analysis, patients with CS received IV thrombolysis more often than other subtypes and had lower mortality than CE, LAA, and OTH but higher mortality than SVO. They were more likely to be discharged home than all other subtypes and be independent at discharge than LAA, OTH, or SVO.ConclusionsIn a large contemporary nationwide registry, CS accounted for 20% of ISs among patients with a documented stroke etiology. Patients with CS had a distinct profile of treatments and outcomes relative to other subtypes. Improved subtype documentation and further research into CS are warranted to improve care and outcomes for patients with stroke.

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Early transition to comfort measures only in acute stroke patients

Neurology Clinical Practice ◽

10.1212/cpj.0000000000000358 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

pp. 194-204 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Shyam Prabhakaran ◽

Margueritte Cox ◽

Barbara Lytle ◽

Phillip J. Schulte ◽

Ying Xian ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Acute Stroke ◽

Multivariable Analysis ◽

Hospital Level ◽

Stroke Patients ◽

Stroke Registry ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Early Decision ◽

Stroke Type ◽

Get With The Guidelines ◽

Hospital Characteristics

AbstractBackground:Death after acute stroke often occurs after forgoing life-sustaining interventions. We sought to determine the patient and hospital characteristics associated with an early decision to transition to comfort measures only (CMO) after ischemic stroke (IS), intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in the Get With The Guidelines–Stroke registry.Methods:We identified patients with IS, ICH, or SAH between November 2009 and September 2013 who met study criteria. Early CMO was defined as the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatments and interventions by hospital day 0 or 1. Using multivariable logistic regression, we identified patient and hospital factors associated with an early (by hospital day 0 or 1) CMO order.Results:Among 963,525 patients from 1,675 hospitals, 54,794 (5.6%) had an early CMO order (IS: 3.0%; ICH: 19.4%; SAH: 13.1%). Early CMO use varied widely by hospital (range 0.6%–37.6% overall) and declined over time (from 6.1% in 2009 to 5.4% in 2013; p < 0.001). In multivariable analysis, older age, female sex, white race, Medicaid and self-pay/no insurance, arrival by ambulance, arrival off-hours, baseline nonambulatory status, and stroke type were independently associated with early CMO use (vs no early CMO). The correlation between hospital-level risk-adjusted mortality and the use of early CMO was stronger for SAH (r = 0.52) and ICH (r = 0.50) than AIS (r = 0.15) patients.Conclusions:Early CMO was utilized in about 5% of stroke patients, being more common in ICH and SAH than IS. Early CMO use varies widely between hospitals and is influenced by patient and hospital characteristics.

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Abstract 2919: Do Premature Ventricular Contractions Play a Role in the Etiologic Subtypes of Ischemic Stroke?

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.43.suppl_1.a2919 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 43 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

JUN LEE ◽

Na-Young Kim

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Cryptogenic Stroke ◽

Holter Monitoring ◽

Median Number ◽

Large Artery ◽

Vessel Occlusion ◽

Premature Ventricular Contractions ◽

Ordinal Logistic Regression Analysis ◽

The Relationship

Background The relationship between stroke and non-atrial fibrillation cardiac arrhythmias remains unclear. Frequent premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) are associated with impaired ventricular relaxation and may increase the risk of clot formation and subsequent embolization. This study investigated the relationship between frequency of PVCs and etiologic subtypes of ischemic stroke. Methods Consecutive ischemic stroke patients admitted within 7 days of onset who underwent 24-hour Holter monitoring were enrolled (n=451). Subtypes of ischemic stroke were defined according to the SSS-TOAST classification as Large artery atherosclerosis (LAD), cardioembolic stroke (CE), small vessel occlusion (SVO), other causes (OC), and cryptogenic stroke (CS). Risk factors, demographic information, and 24-hour Holter recordings were compared between the subtypes of ischemic stroke. Results There were 182 women and 269 men (191 LAD, 90 CE, 93 SVO, 13 OC, 64 CS), with a mean age of 66 years (median 68). PVCs were seen in 305 patients (67.5%) on 24-hour Holter monitoring (median 3, IQR 0-48). CE had a higher median number of PVCs (median 24, IQR 0-258) than LAD (median 2, p=0.01), SVO (median 1, p<0.001), OC (median 0, p=0.013), and CS (median 4, p=0.2). The proportions of frequent PVCs (>50 in a 24-hour Holter monitoring) were higher in CE (43.3%) compared with the other groups (20.9% in LAD, 15.1% in SVO, 15.4% in OC, and 23.4% in CS; p<0.001). Compared with the SVO, the upper 3 quartiles of PVCs were associated with CE (OR 2.93; 95% CI, 1.69 to 5.06) and CS (OR 1.86; 95% CI, 1.07 to 3.2) in ordinal logistic regression analysis after adjustment for traditional risk factors. Conclusions The number of PVCs detected by 24-hour Holter monitoring is associated with CE and CS. The presence of high frequency of PVC may help in stratifying patients with different stroke subtypes, particularly embolic stroke. The role of these arrhythmias as a risk marker for ischemic stroke deserves further investigation.

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Characteristics and management of stroke in Korea: 2014–2018 data from Korean Stroke Registry

International Journal of Stroke ◽

10.1177/1747493019884517 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (6) ◽

pp. 619-626 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Han-Yeong Jeong ◽

Keun-Hwa Jung ◽

Heejung Mo ◽

Chan-Hyuk Lee ◽

Tae Jung Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Reperfusion Therapy ◽

Lifestyle Changes ◽

Large Artery ◽

Stroke Subtype ◽

Vessel Occlusion ◽

Stroke Registry ◽

Aging Populations ◽

Care Patterns ◽

Ischemic Attack

Background Lifestyle changes and evolving healthcare practices in Korea have influenced disease patterns and medical care. Since strokes have high disease burden in countries with aging populations, it is necessary to evaluate the associated recent disease characteristics and patient care patterns. The Korean Stroke Registry is a nationwide, multicenter, prospective, hospital-based stroke registry in Korea used to monitor these changes across the population. Aims We aimed to evaluate the recent status of clinical characteristics and management of stroke cases in order to identify changes in the Korean population across time. Methods This study used Korean Stroke Registry data from patients experiencing ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack patients, between 2014 and 2018. We analyzed data on demographics, risk factors, stroke subtypes, and treatments that included thrombolysis. Results A total of 39,291 patients (mean age 68.0 ± 13.0, 58.3% male) were analyzed. The proportions of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, atrial fibrillation, and prior stroke were 63.4%, 30.9%, 27.7%, 19.4%, and 17.1%, respectively. In the stroke subtype analysis, the frequency of large artery atherosclerosis was highest (32.6%), followed by cardioembolism (21.3%) and small vessel occlusion (19.9%). Acute reperfusion therapy was conducted in 15.3% of cases (11.7% using intravenous tPA and 7.3% using intra-arterial thrombectomy). Intra-arterial thrombectomy also demonstrated a steep increasing trend over time (RR 1.095 (1.060–1.131), p < 0.001). Conclusions This study provided analysis of nationwide, hospital-based, quality-controlled data from the Korean Stroke Registry database regarding changes in the characteristics, risk factors, and treatments of strokes in Korea.

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Qualitative Posttreatment Diffusion-Weighted Imaging as a Predictor of 90-day Outcome in Stroke Intervention

Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences / Journal Canadien des Sciences Neurologiques ◽

10.1017/cjn.2019.330 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 47 (2) ◽

pp. 160-166

Author(s):

Adam A Dmytriw ◽

Abdullah Alrashed ◽

Alejandro Enriquez-Marulanda ◽

Shadi Daghighi ◽

Ghouth Waggas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diffusion Weighted Imaging ◽

Infarct Volume ◽

Multivariable Analysis ◽

Poor Performance ◽

Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator ◽

National Institutes Of Health ◽

Infarct Core ◽

Vessel Occlusion ◽

Subjective Impression ◽

Diffusion Weighted

ABSTRACT:Purpose:The aim was to assess the ability of post-treatment diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) to predict 90-day functional outcome in patients with endovascular therapy (EVT) for large vessel occlusion in acute ischemic stroke (AIS).Methods:We examined a retrospective cohort from March 2016 to January 2018, of consecutive patients with AIS who received EVT. Planimetric DWI was obtained and infarct volume calculated. Four blinded readers were asked to predict modified Rankin Score (mRS) at 90 days post-thrombectomy.Results:Fifty-one patients received endovascular treatment (mean age 65.1 years, median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) 18). Mean infarct volume was 43.7 mL. The baseline NIHSS, 24-hour NIHSS, and the DWI volume were lower for the mRS 0–2 group. Also, the thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (TICI) 2b/3 rate was higher in the mRS 0–2 group. No differences were found in terms of the occlusion level, reperfusion technique, or recombinant tissue plasminogen activator use. There was a significant association noted between average infarct volume and mRS at 90 days. On multivariable analysis, higher infarct volume was significantly associated with 90-day mRS 3–5 when adjusted to TICI scores and occlusion location (OR 1.01; CI 95% 1.001–1.03; p = 0.008). Area under curve analysis showed poor performance of DWI volume reader ability to qualitatively predict 90-day mRS.Conclusion:The subjective impression of DWI as a predictor of clinical outcome is poorly correlated when controlling for premorbid status and other confounders. Qualitative DWI by experienced readers both overestimated the severity of stroke for patients who achieved good recovery and underestimated the mRS for poor outcome patients. Infarct core quantitation was reliable.

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Endovascular treatment of acute ischemic stroke in nonagenarians compared with younger patients in a multicenter cohort

Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery ◽

10.1136/neurintsurg-2016-012427 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 9 (8) ◽

pp. 727-731 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Muhib A Khan ◽

Grayson L Baird ◽

David Miller ◽

Anand Patel ◽

Shawn Tsekhan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multivariable Analysis ◽

National Institutes Of Health ◽

Small Subset ◽

Imaging Data ◽

Vessel Occlusion ◽

Younger Patients ◽

Age Cohort ◽

Multivariable Regression ◽

Predicting Outcome ◽

The Relationship

BackgroundRecent studies have demonstrated the superiority of endovascular therapy (EVT) for emergent large vessel occlusion.ObjectiveTo determine the effectiveness of EVT in nonagenarians, for whom data are limited.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed clinical and imaging data of all patients who underwent EVT at two stroke centers between January 2012 and August 2014. The 90-day functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score) was compared between younger patients (age 18–89 years; n=175) and nonagenarians (n=18). The relationship between pre-stroke and 90-day post-stroke mRS was analyzed in these two groups. Multivariable analysis of age, recanalization grade, and admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) for predicting outcome was performed.ResultsAge ≥90 years was associated with a poor (mRS >2) 90-day outcome relative to those under 90 (89% vs 52%, OR=8, 95% CI 1.7 to 35.0; p=0.0081). Nonagenarians had a higher pre-stroke mRS score (0.77; 95% CI 0.44 to 1.30) than younger patients (0.24; 95% CI 0.17 to 0.35; p=0.005). No difference was observed between nonagenarians and younger patients in the rate of mRS change from pre-stroke to 90 days (p=0.540). On multivariable regression, age (OR=1.05, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.08; p<0.0001), recanalization grade (OR=0.62 95% CI 0.42 to 0.91; p=0.015), and admission NIHSS (OR=1.07 95% CI 1.02 to 1.13; p=0.01) were associated with a poor 90-day outcome.ConclusionsNonagenarians are at a substantially higher risk of a poor 90-day outcome after EVT than younger patients. However, a small subset of nonagenarians may benefit from EVT, particularly if they have a good pre-stroke functional status. Further research is needed to identify factors associated with favorable outcome in this age cohort.

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Correlation of imaging and histopathology of thrombi in acute ischemic stroke with etiology and outcome: a systematic review

Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery ◽

10.1136/neurintsurg-2016-012391 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 529-534 ◽

Cited By ~ 92

Author(s):

Waleed Brinjikji ◽

Sharon Duffy ◽

Anthony Burrows ◽

Werner Hacke ◽

David Liebeskind ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽

Treatment Strategies ◽

Hounsfield Unit ◽

Large Artery ◽

Vessel Occlusion ◽

Stroke Etiology ◽

Imaging Characteristics ◽

Significant Difference

Background and purposeStudying the imaging and histopathologic characteristics of thrombi in ischemic stroke could provide insights into stroke etiology and ideal treatment strategies. We conducted a systematic review of imaging and histologic characteristics of thrombi in acute ischemic stroke.Materials and methodsWe identified all studies published between January 2005 and December 2015 that reported findings related to histologic and/or imaging characteristics of thrombi in acute ischemic stroke secondary to large vessel occlusion. The five outcomes examined in this study were (1) association between histologic composition of thrombi and stroke etiology; (2) association between histologic composition of thrombi and angiographic outcomes; (3) association between thrombi imaging and histologic characteristics; (4) association between thrombi imaging characteristics and angiographic outcomes; and (5) association between imaging characteristics of thrombi and stroke etiology. A meta-analysis was performed using a random effects model.ResultsThere was no significant difference in the proportion of red blood cell (RBC)-rich thrombi between cardioembolic and large artery atherosclerosis etiologies (OR 1.62, 95% CI 0.1 to 28.0, p=0.63). Patients with a hyperdense artery sign had a higher odds of having RBC-rich thrombi than those without a hyperdense artery sign (OR 9.0, 95% CI 2.6 to 31.2, p<0.01). Patients with a good angiographic outcome had a mean thrombus Hounsfield unit (HU) of 55.1±3.1 compared with a mean HU of 48.4±1.9 for patients with a poor angiographic outcome (mean standard difference 6.5, 95% CI 2.7 to 10.2, p<0.001). There was no association between imaging characteristics and stroke etiology (OR 1.13, 95% CI 0.32 to 4.00, p=0.85).ConclusionsThe hyperdense artery sign is associated with RBC-rich thrombi and improved recanalization rates. However, there was no association between the histopathological characteristics of thrombi and stroke etiology and angiographic outcomes.

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Abstract P287: Delays in the Identification and Assessment of In-Hospital Stroke Patients

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.52.suppl_1.p287 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 52 (Suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Stephanie Cummings ◽

Andrew Olsen ◽

Steven Messe

Keyword(s):

Acute Stroke ◽

Tertiary Care ◽

Multivariable Analysis ◽

Vascular Imaging ◽

Care Hospital ◽

Univariable Analysis ◽

Vessel Occlusion ◽

Stroke Treatment ◽

Stroke Team ◽

Get With The Guidelines

Introduction: In-hospital stroke is associated with worse outcomes and fewer stroke interventions compared to patients with community-acquired stroke. We assessed factors associated with delays in symptom identification and stroke team alerting, and use of acute interventions for in-hospital strokes. Methods: The local Get With The Guidelines-Stroke and an in-hospital quality improvement database at our tertiary care hospital were screened over a 26-month period ending 10/2019, yielding 98 in-hospital strokes. Results: Strokes were more common on surgery services (70%), were predominantly ischemic (83%), and were moderate-to-severe (median NIHSS 16; interquartile range [IQR] 6-24). There were long delays from the time of last known normal (LKN) until stroke symptom identification (SxID) (median 5.1 hours, IQR 1.0-19.7 hours) and from SxID to stroke alert (median 2.1 hours, IQR 0.5-9.9 hours). In univariable analysis, being in an ICU, being intubated, being on a surgical service, having no lateralized weakness or neglect, and higher NIHSS were associated with delays; in multivariable analysis only intubation was associated with being above median from LKN to SxID (OR 4.3, 95% CI 1.2-16.2, p=0.03) and above median for SxID to stroke alert (OR 8.5, 95% CI 2.0-36.4). Acute stroke interventions were given to 15 patients (15%), including 3 (3%) who received IV tPA and 12 (12%) who underwent IA thrombectomy. Patients who received stroke interventions had shorter times from last normal to SxID (median 0.7 vs 8.2 hours, p=0.002) and times from SxID to stroke alert (median 0.2 vs 3.4 hours, p=0.006). Urgent vascular imaging occurred in 68/98 (69%) of patients and 23/68 (34%) had a large vessel occlusion (LVO). Of those patients with an LVO, 78% had lateralizing arm weakness or neglect on exam. Conclusions: There are long delays from LKN to SxID and from SxID to stroke alert in hospitalized patients leading to low rates of acute stroke treatment. Intubation was a robust risk factor for delays and protocols should be established to monitor these patients more carefully. Despite these delays, 1/3 of patients who had vascular imaging had an LVO identified that might have been eligible for intervention.

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Abstract 82: Patient and Hospital Characteristics of Pregnancy-Related Stroke from the Get With The Guidelines Stroke Registry

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.46.suppl_1.82 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 46 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Lisa Leffert ◽

Caitlin Clancy ◽

Brian Bateman ◽

Margueritte Cox ◽

Phillip Schulte ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical History ◽

Healthcare Setting ◽

Continuous Variables ◽

Principal Diagnosis ◽

Stroke Subtype ◽

Stroke Registry ◽

Clinical Detail ◽

History Of ◽

Get With The Guidelines ◽

Hospital Characteristics

Background: Stroke accounts for 14% of maternal deaths. Our knowledge of the risk factors and etiologies of pregnancy-related stroke (PRS) is limited, as most data are derived from small, single center series or large, administrative datasets lacking clinical detail. We sought to describe the patient and hospital characteristics of PRS by analyzing the Get with the Guidelines (GWTG) Stroke Registry. Methods: All female patients aged 18-44 entered into GWTG from 2008-2013 with PRS were ascertained by medical history of pregnancy (i.e. pregnant or <6 weeks postpartum) plus a principal diagnosis ICD-9 code (430, 431) (58%), PRS ICD-9 code (671.5x, 673.04, 674.0x) as the principal diagnosis alone (18%), or with a medical history of pregnancy (24%). Proportions for categorical and medians for continuous variables are reported. Results: We identified 46043 patients with stroke from 1554 sites, of whom 668 (1.5%) had PRS. Ischemic stroke (IS) occurred in 338 (51%), intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in 178 (27%) and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in 152 (23%). Many patient and hospital characteristics differed significantly by stroke subtype (Table). Hypertension, smoking and pre-stroke therapy with antithrombotics or antihypertensives were common; 7.4% of IS were recurrent. About 86% of all strokes did not occur in a healthcare setting and only 27% of patients arrived by EMS. Median initial blood pressure (BP) was higher in HS (ICH and SAH) than in IS, and half of all patients had initial BP below the threshold for pre-eclampsia (140/90 mmHg). HS patients were more often treated at larger, academic hospitals. Conclusions: PRS constituted 1.5% of all strokes aged 18-44 in a large contemporary stroke registry and 50% were HS. Most PRS occurred out of hospital, and half of all cases presented with normal BP levels. Further research is needed to better define PRS etiology.

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Inconsistent centralised versus non-centralised ischaemic stroke aetiology

Stroke and Vascular Neurology ◽

10.1136/svn-2020-000576 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 337-347

Author(s):

Yue Suo ◽

Jing Jing ◽

Xia Meng ◽

Zixiao Li ◽

Yuesong Pan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Secondary Prevention ◽

Ischaemic Stroke ◽

Oral Anticoagulants ◽

Sensitivity Analyses ◽

Large Artery ◽

Imaging Data ◽

Vessel Occlusion ◽

Stroke Treatment ◽

Stroke Registry ◽

Stroke Subtypes

Background and purposeThe Trial of Org 10 172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) system is the most widely used aetiological categorisation system in clinical practice and research. Limited studies have validated the accuracy of routine aetiological diagnosis of patients with ischaemic stroke according to the TOAST criteria when the reported subtype is assumed to be correct. We investigated the agreement between centralised and non-centralised (site-reported, at discharge) stroke subtypes in the Third China National Stroke Registry (CNSR-III), and analysed the influence of classification consistency on evaluation during hospitalisation and for secondary prevention strategy.MethodsAll patients with ischaemic stroke from the CNSR-III study with complete diffusion-weighted imaging data were included. We used multivariable Cox proportional-hazard regression models to evaluate the factors associated with consistency between centralised and non-centralised stroke subtypes. Sensitivity analyses were conducted of the subgroup of patients with complete information.ResultsThis study included 12 180 patients (mean age, 62.3 years; and women, 31.4%). Agreement between centralised and non-centralised subtype was the highest for the large-artery atherosclerosis subtype stroke (77.4% of centralised patients), followed by the small-vessel occlusion subtype (40.6% of centralised patients). Agreements for cardioembolism and stroke of other determined aetiology subtypes were 38.7% and 12.2%, respectively. Patient-level and hospital-level factors were associated with the inconsistency between centralised/non-centralised aetiological subtyping. This inconsistency was related to differences in secondary prevention strategies. Only 15.3% of the newly diagnosed patients with cardioembolism underwent centralised subtyping with indications to receive oral anticoagulants at discharge. In comparison, 51.3% of the consistent cardioembolism group and 42.0% of the centrally reassigned cardioembolism group with anticoagulation indications were prescribed oral anticoagulants.ConclusionsSubstantial inconsistency exists between centralised and non-centralised subtyping in China. Inaccurate aetiological subtyping could lead to inadequate secondary prevention, especially in patients with cardioembolic stroke.

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Acute Neurological Deterioration in Large Vessel Occlusions and Mild Symptoms Managed Medically

Stroke ◽

10.1161/strokeaha.119.027011 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 51 (5) ◽

pp. 1428-1434 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Yasir Saleem ◽

Raul G. Nogueira ◽

Gabriel M. Rodrigues ◽

Song Kim ◽

Vera Sharashidze ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multivariable Analysis ◽

National Institutes Of Health ◽

Neurological Deterioration ◽

Large Vessel ◽

Minor Stroke ◽

Large Vessel Occlusion ◽

Vessel Occlusion ◽

Endovascular Thrombectomy ◽

Nihss Score ◽

Acute Neurological Deterioration

Background and Purpose— It is unclear which factors predict acute neurological deterioration in patients with large vessel occlusion and mild symptoms. We aim to evaluate the frequency, timing, and potential predictors of acute neurological deterioration ≥4 National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) points in medically managed patients with large vessel occlusion and mild presentation. Methods— Single-center retrospective study of patients with consecutive minor stroke (defined as NIHSS score of ≤5 on presentation) and large vessel occlusion from January 2014 to December 2017. Primary outcome was acute neurological deterioration ≥4 NIHSS points during the hospitalization. Secondary outcomes included ΔNIHSS (defined as discharge minus admission NIHSS score). Results— Among 1133 patients with acute minor strokes, 122 (10.6%) had visible occlusions on computed tomography angiography/magnetic resonance angiography. Twenty-four (19.7%) patients had ≥4 points deterioration on NIHSS at a median of 3.6 (1–16) hours from arrival. No clinical or radiological predictors of acute neurological deterioration ≥4 NIHSS points were observed on multivariable analysis. Rescue endovascular thrombectomy was performed more often in the ones with acute neurological deterioration ≥4 NIHSS points compared with patients with no deterioration (54% versus 0%; P <0.001). Acute neurological deterioration ≥4 NIHSS points was associated with ΔNIHSS ≥4 points (33% versus 4.9%; P <0.01) and a trend toward lower independence rates at discharge (50% versus 70%; P =0.06) compared with the group with no deterioration. In patients with any degree of neurological worsening, patients who underwent rescue thrombectomy were more likely to be independent at discharge (73% versus 38%; P =0.02) and to have a favorable ΔNIHSS (−2 [−3 to 0] versus 0 [−1 to 6]; P =0.05) compared with the ones not offered rescue thrombectomy. Conclusions— Acute neurological deterioration ≥4 NIHSS points was observed in a fifth of patients with large vessel occlusion and mild symptoms, occurred very early in the hospital course, impacted functional outcomes, and could not be predicted by any of the studied clinical and radiological variables. Rescue thrombectomy was associated with improved clinical outcomes at discharge in patients with neurological deterioration.

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