Characteristics and outcomes of large artery occlusion-related stroke due to intracranial atherostenosis: An experience from a single center in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Literature on the frequency, response to treatment, and outcomes of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) due to intracranial atherostenosis (ICAS)-related intracranial large artery occlusion (ILAO) from Saudi Arabia is scarce. The aim of this study was to identify the percentage, describe the characteristics, and observe the treatment response in patients with AIS attributed to ICAS-related ILAO. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study included all adult patients from 2017-2021 who fulfilled the inclusion criteria for the diagnosis of ICAS-related AIS. Patients were dichotomized based on ILAO. Mortality and functional outcomes (FOCs) based on 90 days' dependence level were compared between the two groups. The association between ILAO and other variables was assessed using the Chi-squared test, odds ratios (OR), and 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: ILAO was found in 38.7% of patients with ICAS-related AIS. Men comprised three-fourths of the cohort and were more frequent in the ILAO group. Smoking was associated with increased (P = 0.04) likelihood of ILAO. Patients with ILAO had more severe strokes (P ≤ 0.001) than patients without. Middle cerebral artery was the most common occluded vessel (52%). Functional dependence (P = 0.003, OR = 2.87, CI = 1.42-5.77), malignant transformation (P = 0.001, OR = 8.0, CI = 1.82-35.9), and mortality (P ≤ 0.001, OR = 7.67, CI = 2.40-24.5) were significantly higher among ILAO group. Patients with ILAO with unfavorable FOC were older than those who achieved better FOC (P ≤ 0.001). Thrombolysis (P = 0.02, OR = 2.50, CI = 1.15-5.41) and mechanical thrombectomy (MT) improved FOC in patients with ILAO (P = 0.04, OR = 2.33, CI = 1.10-4.92). CONCLUSION: ILAO is common in patients with ICAS-related AIS. Timely hyperacute stroke treatment can help improve the FOC of otherwise disabling stroke due to ILAO. Raising awareness of the community about stroke is needed, so that a higher number of patients can arrive at hospital within the golden hours. Further data from the region are required to recognize the efficacy of MT in ICAS-related ILAO.

The role of MicroRNA as a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for cerebral aneurysms.

OBJECTIVES: To identify the dysregulated functional miRNAs, miRNA-16, miRNA-143, and miRNA-200 as potential biomarkers of cerebral aneurysms(CAs) to aid in diagnosis and prognosis. METHODS: This is a prospective case-control study conducted among patients with CA. All patients' computed tomography angiography (CTA) and interventional angiogram were assessed and studied. The miRNAs were isolated and quantified from peripheral blood samples and the expression profiling was done using TaqMan chemistry on Real-Time PCR. RESULTS: A total of 37 samples were included. Three cases had double aneurysms and 10 cases presented with aneurysmal rupture. miRNA-16, miRNA-143, and miRNA-200 were upregulated with an absolute fold-change of >8 in the CA group in comparison to controls (p<0.05). miRNA-200 showed double expression in patients with single aneurysm. A statically significant increase was observed in the expression of miRNA-143 in patients who had an aneurysmal rupture with p<0.05. Diabetic patients showed an obvious increase in miRNA-200 (13.03 folds) and miRNA-16 (26.82 folds) expression. Also, there was a notable elevation in miRNA-16, miRNA-143, and miRNA-200 in patients who had hypertension in comparison to those who did not. CONCLUSION: miRNA-16, miRNA-143, and miRNA-200 showed statically significant higher expression among cases with cerebral aneurysms in comparison to controls. Thus, these preliminary results of miRNAs biomarkers are promising future tool to be used for aneurysmal screening.

The Emerging Role of Telestroke in the Middle East and North Africa Region in the Era of COVID-19.

Stroke is the second most common cause of death worldwide. It is a medical emergency demanding immediate recognition to provide time-sensitive acute management. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has challenged acute stroke care, and alternate models of treatment are needed. Telestroke is well proven as a valid tool for acute stroke assessment and has been utilized successfully to manage patients remotely in many parts of the world, though it is underutilized in the Middle East and North Africa region. Given the challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, such as risk of physician exposure to infection, implementation of a telestroke system is critical to provide consultant stroke physician coverage. This article provides a proposed model for coordinated telestroke. Implementation of telestroke in the Middle East and North Africa region and other underdeveloped areas will optimize stroke management, especially during the COVID-19 era.

The longitudinal impact of COVID-19 pandemic on neurosurgical practice.

OBJECTIVE: This observational cross-sectional multicenter study aimed to evaluate the longitudinal impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on neurosurgical practice. METHODS: We included 29 participating neurosurgeons in centers from all geographical regions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study period, which was between March 5, 2020 and May 20, 2020, was divided into three equal periods to determine the longitudinal effect of COVID-19 measures on neurosurgical practice over time. RESULTS: During the 11-week study period, 474 neurosurgical interventions were performed. The median number of neurosurgical procedures per day was 5.5 (interquartile range [IQR]: 3.5-8). The number of cases declined from 72 in the first week and plateaued at the 30's range in subsequent weeks. The most and least number of performed procedures were oncology (129 [27.2 %]) and functional procedures (6 [1.3 %]), respectively. Emergency (Priority 1) cases were more frequent than non-urgent (Priority 4) cases (178 [37.6 %] vs. 74 [15.6 %], respectively). In our series, there were three positive COVID-19 cases. There was a significant among-period difference in the length of hospital stay, which dropped from a median stay of 7 days (IQR: 4-18) to 6 (IQR: 3-13) to 5 days (IQR: 2-8). There was no significant among-period difference with respect to institution type, complications, or mortality. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that the COVID-19 pandemic decreased the number of procedures performed in neurosurgery practice. The load of emergency neurosurgery procedures did not change throughout the three periods, which reflects the need to designate ample resources to cover emergencies. Notably, with strict screening for COVID -19 infections, neurosurgical procedures could be safely performed during the early pandemic phase. We recommend to restart performing neurosurgical procedures once the pandemic gets stabilized to avoid possible post pandemic health-care system intolerable overload.

Neurosurgical Procedures and Safety During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case-Control Multicenter Study.

OBJECTIVE: Quantitative documentation of the effects of outbreaks, including the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, is limited in neurosurgery. Our study aimed to evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on neurosurgical practice and to determine whether surgical procedures are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. METHODS: A multicenter case-control study was conducted, involving patients who underwent neurosurgical intervention in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during 2 periods: pre-COVID-19 and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The surgical intervention data evaluated included diagnostic category, case priority, complications, length of hospital stay, and 30-day mortality. RESULTS: A total of 850 procedures were included, 36% during COVID-19. The median number of procedures per day was significantly lower during the COVID-19 period (5.5 cases) than during the pre-COVID-19 period (12 cases; P < 0.0001). Complications, length of hospital stay, and 30-day mortality did not differ during the pandemic. In a multivariate analysis comparing both periods, case priority levels 1 (immediate) (odds ratio [OR], 1.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.24-2.67), 1 (1-24 h) (OR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.10-2.41), and 4 (OR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.19-0.42) showed significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: During the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, the overall number of neurosurgical procedures declined, but the load of emergency procedures remained the same, thus highlighting the need to allocate sufficient resources for emergencies. More importantly, performing neurosurgical procedures during the pandemic in regions with limited effects of the outbreak on the health care system was safe. Our findings may aid in developing guidelines for acute and long-term care during pandemics in surgical subspecialties.

Neurobehcet with cerebral aneurysm.

Neuro-behcets disease (NBD) is an uncommon, serious presentation of behcets disease (BD) causing long-term morbidity and mortality. Cerebral aneurysms are rare in BD, with only a handful of cases reported worldwide. A 39-year-old female experienced slurring of speech, numbness, and reduced sensation in the left face, arm, and leg 90 minutes prior to presentation. She provided a history of recurrent oral and genital ulcers associated with intermittent joints pain and blurring of vision. erythrocyte sedimentation rate was elevated, but all other autoimmune workup was negative. Neuro-behcets disease was diagnosed. Brain magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated acute right periventricular infarction. Magnetic resonance angiogram revealed M1 segment stenosis and right internal carotid artery saccular aneurysm. Catheter angiography confirmed its presence measuring 4.8 mm X 6.1 mm. She was stabilized after coiling of the aneurysm and was started on medical therapy. Brain imaging should be carried out in young patients with BD presenting with an ischemic event, and intervention may be lifesaving.

Physician awareness of decompressive hemicraniectomy for malignant middle cerebral artery infarction in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the perspective on Decompressive craniectomy (DH) of each of these specialties to establish common grounds for improved clinical practice. METHODS: An electronic survey was distributed via email and social media groups to members of these specialties in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries. Local practices, common triggers for referral for DH, perceived outcomes of these procedures, individual impression of what constitutes good clinical outcomes were explored. RESULTS: There are 89 physicians participated: 41 (46.1%) neurologists, 34 (38.2%) neurosurgeons, and 14 (15.7%) intensivests. Participants are mostly practicing in intermediate volume centers or high volume centers. Half of the neurosurgeons preferred to be consulted immediately on candidates with large middle cerebral artery (MCA) strokes. The most important referral trigger for DH was clinical changes. The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) cutoff for good clinical outcome was 3 for 73.6% of respondents. There was agreement that DH only improves survival (64.4%). A third of the neurologists considered it to improve functional outcome compared to 15.4% of intensivests and 14.8% of neurosurgeons. There was agreement (66.7%) that patients older than 60 years with involvement of more than one territory should be excluded from DH. Only 7.7% of neurosurgeons excluded patients with dominant hemispheric strokes. CONCLUSION: Our physicians` views are variable in what`s called acceptable outcome, and further studies are needed to to test the characteristics that helps in decision making such as hemisphere dominancy, time onset of stroke and vital radiological signs. This is seen despite the literature being full of data that supports the DC over medical management in malignant MCA infarction. Better multidisciplinary education initiatives are needed to unify the understanding and help improve the practices in this challenging subset of patients.

Traumatic intracranial internal carotid artery pseudoaneurysm presenting as epistaxis treated by endovascular coiling.

Traumatic intracranial pseudoaneurysm is a rare complication of blunt trauma. It is even more rare when it presents as epistaxis. Massive epistaxis of a ruptured intracranial internal carotid artery pseudoaneurysm is a major cause of mortality, which requires emergency intervention. We report a case of traumatic intracranial internal carotid artery pseudoaneurysm secondary to skull base fracture, which presented with delayed onset of epistaxis. This was successfully treated by primary endovascular coil embolization. We discuss endovascular treatment options and review the literature.

Multi-level Split Cord Malformation: Do We Need a New Classification?

Split cord malformations (SCMs) are thought to be rare abnormalities representing 3.8-5% of all spinal cord anomalies. The prevalence is estimated to be 1 in 5499 live births (0.02%), with a slight female predominance (1.3:1). Although the estimates of prevalence vary, Type I SCM occurs more frequently than Type II SCM. In this paper, we are reporting the clinical presentation and imaging findings of multi-level SCM in a 27-year-old male. A literature review of the embryological background of SCM and pathological hypothesis for this entity is provided. A systematic review has been conducted to identify multi-level SCM cases reported in the literature, followed by proposing a new classification system to further our understanding and management of SCMs.

Transcranial Doppler in brain death assessment. Perspective and implications in the Saudi Arabian health system.

Transcranial Doppler is a non-invasive, non-ionizing ultrasound-based imaging modality that is inexpensive with a short learning curve. It can be performed and interpreted at the bedside. This review explores the value of the transcranial Doppler technique as a confirmatory tool for brain death. The early confirmation of brain death enables the treating physicians in early decision-making and family counseling toward better care approaches, including the option of organ donation for transplantation at the appropriate time. We recommend this modality be incorporated as part of the brain death criteria in the Saudi Arabian health care system guidelines and utilized in different tiers of our hospital system.

The use of transcranial Doppler pulsatility index to guide hyperosmolar therapy.

Management of intracranial hypertension is a major cornerstone of neurocritical care. Apart from traumatic brain injury, there are no clear guidelines for intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring. The insertion of ICP monitors is an invasive procedure with inherent risks and could be contraindicated in case of severe coagulopathy. The transcranial Doppler (TCD) pulsatility index (PI) has emerged as a surrogate marker for ICP. This is a technical report with illustrative cases on the use of PI in the management of high ICP, as a guide for optimal dosing of hyperosmolar agents we use in our institution. The use of TCD PI is a useful adjunct to guide the use of hyperosmolar therapy in various conditions with raised intracranial hypertension. We will discuss the combination of the PI determination with an anatomical evaluation of the optic nerve diameter to eliminate confounding factors in PI determination.