Neurologist最新文献

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the efficacy of neuroendoscopic surgery in the treatment of hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage (HICH).

Methods: A total of 193 patients diagnosed with HICH were divided into 2 groups in this study: the observation group (n=101) received neuroendoscopic surgery, whereas the control group (n=92) underwent conservative treatment. Then, the outcomes between these 2 groups were compared and assessed.

Results: In the pretreatment phase, there were no significant differences in the levels of inflammation and neurological function scores between these 2 groups (P>0.05). After 3 months of treatment, the observation group displayed significantly shorter median hospital stay, lower average hospital costs, and faster hematoma resorption time, along with reduced levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8, aquaporin-4 (AQP4), macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), Nerve Deficiency Scale (NDS), Graeb score, and national institute of health stroke scale (NIHSS) compared with the control group (P<0.05). In addition, the observation group exhibited higher rate of hematoma clearance and better glasgow outcome scale (GOS) score compared with the control group (P<0.05). The effective treatment rate in the observation group was notably superior to that in the control group (89.11% vs. 73.91%, P<0.05).

Conclusions: Neuroendoscopic surgery is an effective treatment for HICH, with alleviating the inflammatory response and enhancing the neurological function. The treatment shows promising outcomes and justifies extensive implementation.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the outcomes and effectiveness of different antithrombotic regimens at discharge in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and competing large artery atherosclerosis (LAA) mechanisms.

Methods: In an observational study, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical and follow-up data of NVAF patients with AIS from January 2018 to December 2021 (NCT04080830). The subjects were grouped into 2 groups based on the presence or absence of competing LAA mechanisms. Stroke severity, short-term prognosis, and ischemic recurrence (a composite of ischemic stroke/TIA, myocardial infarction, or systemic embolism after index stroke), were compared between the 2 groups. Antithrombotic regimens at discharge were further categorized into antiplatelet and anticoagulant subgroups to analyze their effectiveness.

Results: Five hundred-one NVAF patients with AIS (129 with and 372 without competing LAA mechanisms) were included. Compared with the other group, the group with competing LAA mechanisms had a higher proportion of patients with a nondisabling mRS score (P <0.001), lower mortality rates at the 90-day follow-up ( P =0.048), and higher 180-day ischemic outcomes ( P =0.023). Subgroup analysis showed that the ischemic outcomes were not significantly different ( P =0.166) between the anticoagulant and antiplatelet subgroups in patients with competing LAA mechanisms. In contrast, it was numerically higher in the anticoagulant subgroup.

Conclusion: NVAF patients with AIS due to competing LAA mechanisms had mild severity and a comfortable short-term prognosis; however, these patients had a higher risk of ischemic events. The optimal antithrombotic regimens in these patients remain unclear, and stroke mechanisms should be considered.

Introduction: Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is a rare, serious, and complex cerebrovascular disease. The prothrombin G20210A mutation is the second most common inherited thrombophilia and is considered to be one of the etiologies of CVST. The optimal heparinoid medication for treatment remains a topic of debate.

Case report: This case report describes a young woman with CVST who did not respond to low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH). The patient was initially treated with LMWH; however, her symptoms and clot burden in the sagittal sinus worsened, and coagulation studies showed no evidence of therapeutic anticoagulation despite good compliance. Unfractionated heparin was then initiated, and the patient's symptoms improved dramatically within 24 hours, along with the recanalization of the cerebral venous sinuses. Genetic testing revealed a heterozygous mutation in the prothrombin gene (G20210A). This mutation is a known risk factor for CVST. However, it is unclear why the patient did not respond to LMWH but responded appropriately to unfractionated heparin.

Conclusion: This case report highlights the potential for LMWH resistance in patients with CVST and prothrombin gene mutations. These findings also emphasize the importance of close monitoring of coagulation parameters and clinical response in patients with CVST receiving LMWH.

Introduction: Optic nerve involvement in primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) has been reported only a few times in the literature, with generally dismal outcomes. We focused on an extremely rare presentation of PCNSL in an immunocompetent patient with isolated manifestations of the optic nerve.

Case report: A 72-year-old man presented with subacute vision loss in his left eye and optic disc swelling. Initial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the orbits revealed a T2 hyperintense signal with enhancement of the left prechiasmatic optic nerve, suggestive of optic neuritis. He experienced visual improvement after 6 weeks of prednisone. However, 2 months after steroid tapering, he presented with worsening left-eye vision loss and new right-eye vision loss with imaging showing a peripherally enhancing chiasm lesion. A biopsy of the left optic nerve confirmed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and negative systemic imaging was consistent with PCNSL. He was treated with high-dose methotrexate, rituximab, procarbazine vincristine (R-MVP), and cytarabine (AraC) with some visual improvement in the right eye and resolution of previously seen enhancement on MRI. The patient is in remission with no further deterioration of his vision.

Conclusion: This is the first reported case of isolated optic nerve involvement with a durable response to chemotherapy. This case emphasizes the importance of considering malignancy and maintaining a low threshold for optic nerve biopsy in patients with atypical cases of severe steroid-refractory vision loss with enhancement or enlargement of the optic nerve on MRI. Standard chemotherapy regimens for PCNSL can potentially achieve a curative response in these patients.

Objective: This study evaluates the effectiveness of multimodal image fusion (MIF) using silent and time-of-flight (TOF) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and computed tomography (CT) for preoperative planning in patients with intracranial aneurysms who have contraindications to contrast media.

Materials and methods: A retrospective study included 40 patients with intracranial aneurysms, diagnosed using three-dimensional computed tomography angiography (CTA). These patients underwent both Silent and TOF MRA scans, followed by a CTA scan. The multi-image fusion (MIF) technique, applied using 3DSlicer software, integrated the silent/TOF-MRA with CT images for preoperative assessment. This study compared the image quality, aneurysm detection sensitivity, and anatomic accuracy of the MIF images with those of three-dimensional CTA.

Results: Silent-MRA-CT fusion images demonstrated higher sensitivity (95.5%) and lower false negative rates (4.5%) compared with TOF-MRA-CT. Furthermore, silent-MRA-CT fusion images outperformed TOF-MRA-CT in terms of signal homogeneity, venous signal interference suppression, and aneurysm visibility (all P < 0.05). The interclass correlation coefficient and kappa values for aneurysm morphology and shape indicated superior measurement consistency and shape concordance of silent-MRA-CT with CTA compared with TOF-MRA-CT (all P < 0.01).

Conclusion: This study supports the use of silent/TOF-MRA-CT fusion imaging as a reliable alternative to CTA, noting that silent-MRA-CT closely mirrors CTA. Contrast-free MRA-CT fusion images have the potential to be used for preoperative planning in patients with intracranial aneurysms who have contraindications to contrast.

Objectives: Delays in acute stroke treatment lead to poor outcomes. Women can present with atypical stroke symptoms, are older at the time of stroke, and tend to be living alone, causing delays in pre-hospital diagnosis and seeking care. It is unclear if gender disparities in ED arrival and stroke assessment are compounded by gender differences after ED arrival. Therefore, we sought to identify if gender and marital status were associated with faster door-to-treatment (DTT) time.

Methods: Our single-center stroke database was queried for adults presenting to ED with acute stroke between January 1, 2018 and January 30, 2023 treated with IV thrombolytics (IVT)+/- endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) and a known DTT time. The primary outcome was DTT (door-to-needle+door-to-puncture) time. Data collected includes the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) at presentation and discharge, gender, marital status, age, and intervention (IVT alone or IVT+/- EVT).

Results: Among 674 patients identified, 35 patients were excluded due to missing data. Of 639 patients (median age 66 y), 25%/18% of patients were married men/women, respectively, and 22%/35% were single men/women. Median DTN time, DTP time, and discharge NIHSS score were 36, 79, and 4 mins, respectively. On multivariable analysis, neither DTT time nor NIHSS score at discharge improved among married men relative to any other combination of gender and marital status.

Conclusions: Gender differences in the knowledge of stroke warning signs and gender disparities in ED assessment did not translate into faster DTT time. More work is needed to find ways to accelerate stroke care after ED arrival.

Objectives: Endocardial fibroelastosis (EFE) is a rare form of restrictive cardiomyopathy associated with high morbidity and mortality. The literature is sparse on information pertaining to risk stratification. Thus, we sought to highlight the risk factors of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and mortality in adults with EFE.

Methods: The National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database was queried from 2001 to 2020 using the International Classification of Diseases 9th Revision (ICD-9) and 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes for adult patients with EFE. Factors associated with AIS and mortality were identified.

Results: In all, 18495 cases of EFE fit the inclusion criteria, of which 2370 (12.82%) had AIS. The mean ages for patients with and without AIS were 62.37 and 54.24, respectively. Multivariate regression suggested greater odds of AIS in patients with hypertension (aOR 2.329, P <0.01), dyslipidemia (aOR: 1.566, P <0.01), peripheral vascular disease (PVD) (aOR: 1.736, P <0.01), alcohol abuse (aOR: 1.817, P <0.01), age >60 y (aOR: 1.646, P <0.01), females (vs. males, aOR: 1.238, P <0.01), and smokers (aOR: 1.697, P <0.01). Patients with cirrhosis (aOR: 0.174, P <0.01), CKD (aOR: 0.369, P <0.01), COPD (aOR: 0.402, P <0.01), atrial fibrillation (aOR: 0.542, P <0.01) had lower odds of AIS. 3.1% of EFE patients with AIS died. Diabetes (aOR: 11.665, P <0.01) and COPD (aOR: 3.201, P =0.017) were associated with the greatest odds of all-cause mortality. Dyslipidemia (aOR: 0.387, P =0.010) and females (vs. males, aOR: 0.432, P =0.012) had reduced odds of all-cause mortality.

Conclusion: Several risk factors are associated with AIS in EFE, while diabetes, COPD, and being male are associated with mortality in EFE.

Objectives: The optimal management of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in patients with oral anticoagulation (OA) is challenging. Our study aimed to analyze the clinical characteristics and outcome of AIS in patients with OA for nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data on NVAF patients with AIS on direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) or vitamin K antagonists (VKA) admitted to our Stroke Unit from 2017 to 2022. Ninety-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS), 90-day, and 12-month stroke recurrences were recorded.

Results: A total of 169 patients (53.2% female, mean age 82.8±6.7 y), 117 (69.2%) on DOAC, and 52 on VKA (30.8%), were enrolled. Mean age, in-hospital mortality, and 90-day mRS ≥4 were significantly higher in VKA patients. 63.4% of VKA patients had subtherapeutic INR, whereas 47.1% of DOAC patients were on low-dose (14.2% off-label). Large vessel occlusion and embolic etiology were more frequent in VKA patients (34.6% vs. 26.4%, P =0.358; 92.3% vs. 74.3%, P =0.007, respectively), whereas lacunar strokes were more frequent in DOAC patients (19.8% vs. 12.2%, P =0.366). Among patients on VKA before AIS 86.4% were switched to DOAC, whereas a DOAC-to-VKA and a DOAC-to-DOAC switch were done in 25.4% and 11.7%, respectively. Stroke recurrence occurred in 6.4% of patients at 90 days and 10.7% at 12 months. Anticoagulant switching was not associated with stroke recurrences.

Conclusions: In our study, nonembolic etiology was more frequent in DOAC patients and anticoagulant switching did not reduce the risk of stroke recurrence. Prospective multicentric studies are warranted.

Objective: To report a case of hemicrania continua (HC) and persistent visual aura without infarction in a patient with previous episodic migraine with visual aura, whose persistent aura symptoms improved only after treatment with divalproex sodium.

Background: Once regarded as highly specific for migraine, visual aura has been associated with trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias, including HC. In previous descriptions of HC and episodes of typical visual aura, the aura occurred exclusively with severe headache exacerbations and, like the pain, resolved with indomethacin.

Methods: Case report and literature review.

Results: A 54-year-old man with a history of episodic migraine with visual aura reported a gradual onset of HC with persistent visual aura of 15 months duration. General medical and neurological examinations were normal, including imaging studies. HC's headache responded to indomethacin, while the visual aura was recalcitrant, only improving with oral divalproex sodium treatment.

Conclusion: As our patient experienced HC, which evolved from episodic migraine, we hypothesize that migraine and HC may share a common pathophysiology. However, the persistence of the visual aura, despite the abolition of pain and autonomic features with a therapeutic dose of indomethacin, and the subsequent successful treatment of the aura with divalproex sodium, suggest that aura and HC headache arise from distinct and dissociable mechanisms.

Objectives: The preferred endovascular therapy (EVT) for large-vessel occlusion in intracranial atherosclerosis (ICAS) is unknown. We compared the efficacy of preferred stent thrombectomy and preferred angioplasty in patients with acute large-vessel occlusion in ICAS.

Methods: Data from consecutive EVT patients (May 2020 to September 2023) with acute middle cerebral artery occlusion in ICAS were retrospectively analyzed. Preferred angioplasty was performed if there was a preoperative "microcatheter first-pass effect;" otherwise, preferred stent thrombectomy was performed. Analyses were grouped according to the two EVT treatments. Clinical data of all patients, including the time from puncture to recanalization, rate of successful reperfusion, early neurological improvement, intracranial hemorrhage, and modified Rankin Scale score at 90 days, were recorded and analyzed.

Results: Six-two patients were enrolled in this study (mean age was 60.66±13.21 y, 22.6% female). The preferred angioplasty group had a higher first-pass recanalization rate than the preferred stent thrombectomy group (61.3% vs. 21.9%, P <0.001) and a higher proportion of patients who were functionally independent (defined as a modified Rankin Scale score of 0 to 3) at 90 days [odds ratio,3.681; 95% confidence interval (CI):1.009 to 13.428; P =0.048]. There was no significant difference between the groups in the time from puncture to recanalization, the frequency of successful reperfusion, and early neurological improvement, or intracranial hemorrhage ( P >0.05).

Conclusions: This study suggests that for acute middle cerebral artery occlusion in ICAS, preferred angioplasty may be a safe and effective procedure.