Stroke: Carotid stenosis--surgery or stenting to prevent stroke?

Thromboembolism resulting from complex atheromatous plaque formation at the origin of the internal carotid artery is a common cause of ischemic stroke. In appropriately selected patients, plaque removal by carotid endarterectomy is of substantial net benefit. Endovascular stenting appears less "invasive" than endarterectomy,but is the former as safe and effective as the latter?     

Stroke and sleep apnoea: cause or consequence?

The relationships between obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) and stroke are still under discussion, but increasing evidence demonstrates that the OSAS is an independent risk factor for stroke. However, in rare cases, OSAS could be a consequence of strokes, especially if located in the brainstem. Many recent studies have found a 70 to 95% frequency of OSAS (defined by an apnoea/hypopnoea index >10) in patients with acute stroke. Age, body mass index, diabetes, and severity of stroke have been identified as independent predictors of stroke. Furthermore, the presence of OSAS in stroke patients could lead to a poor outcome. The potential mechanisms linking OSAS and stroke are probably multiple (arterial hypertension, cardiac arrhythmia, increased atherogenesis, coagulation disorders, and cerebral haemodynamic changes). Despite numerous uncertainties, OSAS should be systematically screened at the moment it is clinically suspected in patients with acute stroke. However, the optimal timing (early or differed) for treatment with nasal continuous positive airway pressure remains to be determined.     

The Boston Acute Stroke Imaging Scale: ready for use in clinical practice?

This Practice Point commentary discusses a report by Torres-Mozqueda et al. on a newly developed classification instrument for predicting outcome after stroke, the Boston Acute Stroke Imaging Scale (BASIS). This tool incorporates imaging data on the patency of the vasculature and the parenchyma and classifies ischemic strokes as major (if large vessels are occluded or parenchymal changes are present) or minor (all others). When testing the scale, the authors looked at short-term outcome at the time of hospital discharge; patients classified with major stroke by BASIS had a higher mortality and longer hospital stay and were more likely to be discharged to a rehabilitation facility than patients with minor stroke. The authors concluded that BASIS can predict outcome after stroke. We point to several shortcomings in the study methodology and argue that, although BASIS has potential as a prognostic tool, further studies are needed before it can be widely used.     

Acute Ischemic Stroke with Vessel Occlusion—Prevalence and Thrombectomy Eligibility at a Comprehensive Stroke Center

Introduction: Endovascular thrombectomy (ET) for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) caused by large vessel occlusion (LVO) can prevent severe disability and mortality. There is currently limited data on the epidemiology of LVO strokes and ET eligibility. We aim to determine the incidence of intracranial vessel occlusion (IVO) strokes eligible for ET per 2018 American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines and characteristics of an AHA ineligible population at a comprehensive stroke center (CSC). Methods: Retrospective chart review of all consecutive AISs at a CSC between November 2014 and February 2017. Demographic, clinical, and radiographic data were analyzed to determine ET eligibility per AHA guidelines and characteristics of ineligible patients were investigated. Results: Twenty-four percent of AIS harbor an IVO. Thirty percent of IVO strokes and 47% of anterior circulation LVO strokes are thrombectomy eligible per AHA guidelines. Most common reasons for thrombectomy ineligibility among IVO strokes are presence of IVO other than anterior circulation LVO (35%, n = 224), presence of large stroke burden (15%, n = 93), baseline modified Rankin scale greater than or equal to 2 (14%, n = 89), and NIHSS score less than 6 (15%, n = 96). Conclusions: At a CSC, 1 in 4 AISs harbor an IVO. Seven in 100 acute ischemic strokes, 3 in 10 strokes with vessel occlusion, and 1 in 2 strokes with internal carotid or middle cerebral artery M1 occlusion are thrombectomy eligible per AHA 2018 guidelines. These data highlight that current guidelines render a majority of strokes thrombectomy ineligible and a large window of opportunity exists for clinical investigation.     

European Stroke Conference

Time:May 6-9,2014Venue:Nice,France Email:hennerici@eurostroke.eu Website:www.eurostroke.eu,www.eurostroke.org Deadline for abstract submission:January 12,2014The European Stroke Conference(ESC)was founded in 1990 by J.Bogousslavsky(Switzerland)and M.G.Hennerici(Germany).The first meeting was held in Düsseldorf and was attended by about 500 people and proved to be a great success.At that time only the North American conference existed for clinical researchers and basic scientists to present data from stroke     

Aortic Arch Atherosclerosis——An Important Potential Source Of Cerebral Embolic Stroke

Background and purpose: Recent years with use of transesophageal echography renew awareness of aortic atherosclerosis. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence, clinical significance, and embolic potential of thoracic aortic plaque in patients with cerebral emblism; and further study the correlation aortic plaque with carotid or heart disease. Method: 49 consecutive patients with cerebral embolism was included in this sutdy. We uscd TEE to evaluated potential source of emboli in aortic arch and heart, and duplex in carotid artery. A atherosclerotic lesion of thoracic aorta was defined as normal(O); mild plaque (1); moderate plaque (2); protruding plaque or mobile plaque (3). Result: 31(63%) patients showed evidence of AAA; 7 (14.3%) patients had mild AAA, 9 (18.4%) patients had moderate AAA and 15 (32.7%) patients had severe AAA, In these 15 patients 11 patients neither severe ICAA or embolic heart disease, the AAA may be responsible to the cerebral embolism; 33 patients had internal carotid arterial atherosclerosis(ICAA), 9 patients had embolic heart disease; Age, ICAA had significant correlated with aortic plaque. Conclusion: Aortic atherosclerosis is common in cerebral embolism. Aortic plaque might be not only responsible for some unexplained embolic event, but also for some of the embolic stroke in the group of patient do have carotid artery or heart disease. Age might be important risk factor for the development of atherosclerotic lesion in the thoracic aorta.