Mechanical thrombectomy in basilar artery occlusions: impact of first-line strategy as a function of the occlusion level.

BACKGROUND: Retrospective studies suggest the superiority of first-line contact aspiration (CA) thrombectomy over stent-retriever (SR) in basilar artery occlusions (BAO). We aimed to investigate the impact of first-line mechanical thrombectomy per the occlusion level, considering differences in stroke etiology prevalence between proximal and distal BAO. METHODS: A retrospective, multicentric analysis of the Endovascular Treatment in Ischemic Stroke Registry (ETIS) included consecutive BAO patients treated from January 2016 to May 2022. Patients were categorized into SR (±aspiration) and CA alone groups. Occlusion levels were determined through digital subtraction angiography. Favorable clinical outcome was defined as 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 0-3. RESULTS: A total of 380 patients were analyzed (251 CA alone, 129 SR±aspiration). Globally, first-line SR showed lower recanalization rates (89.1% vs 94.8%, OR=0.29, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.53; p<0.001) and worse clinical outcomes (mRS 0-3: 46.0% vs 52.2%, OR=0.62, 95% CI 0.44 to 0.87; p=0.006) compared with CA. In proximal occlusions, SR was significantly associated with poorer clinical outcomes (mRS 0-3: 20.9% vs 37.1%; OR=0.40, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.83; p=0.014) despite similar recanalization rates. Conversely, in distal occlusions there was no difference in clinical outcomes although recanalization rates were higher with CA (modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction score (mTICI 2b/3): 97.7% vs 91.7%; OR=0.17, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.66; p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In our BAO population, CA demonstrated better angiographic outcomes in middle and distal occlusions and better clinical outcomes in proximal occlusions. This translated into better angiographic and clinical results in the global study population. Clinical results were particularly influenced by the negative impact of SR on 90-day mRS, independently of recanalization rates in proximal BAO.

Spinal Anterior Dural Dissection: Moving From Differential to Unifying Diagnosis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collections extending longitudinally at the anterior aspect of the spinal dura have been reported in association with various conditions and under multiple names. The aim of this study was to report cases associated with brachial amyotrophy (BA) and examine its relationship with other clinical variants. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study including patients who presented with a motor deficit of the upper limbs and an anterior interdural CSF collection on spinal MRI. We performed a systematic review of the literature to include cases revealed by BA. RESULTS: Seven patients presenting with BA and a confirmed dural dissection on spinal MRI were included. All patients were male with a slowly progressing history of asymmetrical and proximal motor deficit of the upper limbs. Chronic denervation affecting mostly C5 and C6 roots was found on electroneuromyography. Spinal MRI demonstrated an anterior CSF collection dissecting the interdural space and exerting a traction on cervical motor roots. Dynamic computed tomography myelogram localized the dural defect every time it was performed (4/7 cases), and surgical closure was possible for 3 patients, leading to resolution of the collection. Literature review yielded 18 other published cases of spinal dural dissections revealed by BA, including 4 in association with spontaneous intracranial hypotension and 4 others in association with superficial siderosis. CONCLUSION: We propose a unifying diagnosis termed "spinal anterior dural dissection" (SADD) to encompass spinal dural CSF collections revealed by BA (SADD-BA), spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SADD-SIH), or superficial siderosis (SADD-SS).

Reperfusion therapy for acute ischemic stroke in older people: An observational real-life study.

BACKGROUND: While randomized clinical trials have shown the benefit of thrombolysis and endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS), we aimed to describe in a real-life study the differences between older (>80 years old) and younger patients treated for AIS. METHODS: Thousand patients treated with thrombolysis and/or EVT were consecutively included in a prospective monocentric database (admitted from December 2015 to May 2019 in our comprehensive stroke center). Demographic data with detailed history, baseline physical examinations and treatments, laboratory and imaging data, prestroke functional status, and outcome 3 months after stroke were analyzed. RESULTS: Older patients (n = 357) had more baseline comorbidities and lower levels of prestroke independence (modified Rankin scale ≤2; 67.2% vs. 96.1%) and more severe strokes (median National Institute of Health Stroke Score [NIHSS] 15 vs. 12; p < 0.001) than younger patients (n = 643). There was no difference in the reperfusion treatments used or treatment timelines. In older patients, good functional status at 3 months was less common (29.7% vs. 61.3%) and mortality was higher (37.1% vs. 11.4%) than in younger patients. Younger age was independently associated with better prognosis (odds ratio [OR] 0.37, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.20-0.67; p = 0.001) and lower mortality (OR 4.38, 95% CI: 2.11-9.09; p < 0.001). Among older adults, features associated with good outcome at 3 months were age (OR 0.89, 95% CI: 0.81-0.97; p = 0.01), initial NIHSS (OR 0.89, 95% CI: 0.83-0.94; p < 0.0001), and absence of severe leukoaraiosis, anticoagulant treatment, and symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage following reperfusion therapy (respectively, OR 0.42, 95% CI: 0.19-0.93; p = 0.03; OR = 0.07, 95% CI: 0.01-0.70; p = 0.02; and OR = 0.07, 95% CI: 0.01-0.61; p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Although reperfusion therapy was less successful in older patients, these patients may benefit from acute recanalization despite their age. With an increasing older adult population, high-quality prospective studies are still required to better predict functional outcome and clarify the criteria that would allow better selection of appropriate treatment.

Pre-procedural predictive factors of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage after thrombectomy in stroke.

OBJECTIVE: Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) is a common complication of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) associated with limited treatments and poor outcomes. We aimed to identify predictive factors of sICH in patients with AIS following mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in a real-world setting. METHODS: Patients with large vessel occlusion of the anterior circulation treated with MT were consecutively included in a prospective monocentric cohort. Clinical, biological, and radiological parameters were collected to identify pre-procedural predictors for sICH. RESULTS: 637 patients were included in our study. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed on most patients (86.7%). sICH occurred in 55 patients (8.6%). 428 patients (67.2%) were treated with intravenous thrombolysis. After multivariate analysis, prior use of antiplatelet therapies (odd ratio (OR) 1.84, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-3.32), high C-reactive protein (OR per standard deviation (SD) increase 1.28, 95% 1.01-1.63), elevated mean arterial blood pressure (OR per 10 mmHg increase 1.22, 95% CI 1.03-1.44), hyperglycemia (OR per one SD-log increase 1.38, 95% CI 1.02-1.87), and low ASPECTS (OR per 1-point decrease 1.42, 95% CI 1.12-1.80) were found to be independent predictive factors of sICH. The pre-procedural predictors did not change when the absence of successful recanalization was considered as a covariate. Patients with strokes of unknown onset time were not especially vulnerable for sICH. CONCLUSION: sICH after MT was associated with several pre-procedural risk factors: prior use of antiplatelet therapies, high C-reactive protein and hyperglycemia at baseline, elevated mean arterial blood pressure, and low ASPECTS.

Carotid webs management in symptomatic patients.

BACKGROUND: Atypical fibromuscular dysplasia (AFMD), also known as carotid web, is a rare underdiagnosed shelf-like fibrous tissue arising from the posterior carotid artery bulb that is a cause of cryptogenic stroke of the anterior cerebral vascularization. Despite the recurrence and severity of strokes caused by embolization associated with AFMD, there are no recommendations on the best strategy to manage single and bilateral lesions, which have unsatisfactory outcomes when treated with medical treatment exclusively. METHODS: From January 2016 to April 2019, 365 patients were operated on for a carotid stenosis in our institution. This cohort included 11 patients (3%), with a median age of 41 years (range, 39-51 years), referred by a stroke unit, treated for a symptomatic (10 strokes and 1 recurrent transient ischemic attack) AFMD lesion. Preoperative workup revealed a contralateral similar lesion in 45% of patients (5/11), which all also underwent surgery during a subsequent hospitalization. The diagnosis was confirmed by histologic examination when open surgery was performed. The 30-day and 1-year outcomes were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Of the 16 AFMD lesions operated, 13 were treated by open surgery (2 by classic endarterectomy and 11 by internal carotid resection-anastomosis) and 3 by carotid artery stenting, respectively, with a mean delay of 85.5 days and 20.5 days after the latest stroke. There was one complication after stenting (external iliac rupture) that was treated by a covered stent, and no perioperative complications after open surgery. The follow-ups at 30 days and 1 year were uneventful for all patients, without any deaths or stroke recurrences. CONCLUSIONS: Symptomatic AFMD is a rare cause of cryptogenic stroke. Bilateral lesions are frequent. Early intervention is associated with favorable perioperative and 1-year outcomes. Open surgery is the first-line therapeutic option in this young patient population.

Thrombectomy or intravenous thrombolysis in patients with NIHSS of 5 or less?

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To compare outcomes of minor stroke patients with intracranial vessel occlusions (IVO) underwent mechanical thrombectomy (MT) versus those treated with intravenous thrombolysis alone (IVT). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed two large prospective stroke databases from two European centers searching for patients admitted with minor stroke (i.e. NIHSS Score░≤░5), baseline mRS░=░0 and occlusion of the M1-M2 segment of the middle cerebral artery (MCA). Groups receiving (A) IVT alone and (B) MT+/-IVT were compared. Primary outcome measures were MT safety, successful recanalization rate (mTICI 2b-3) and NIHSS shift (discharge NIHSS minus admission NIHSS); secondary outcomes included discharge rates and excellent outcome (mRS 0-1) at 3 months. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. RESULTS: Thirty-two patients were enrolled in Group B (19░MT alone; 13 MT░+░IVT) and 24 in Group A. Successful recanalization (mTICI 2b-3) was obtained in 100% of cases in Group B vs 38% in Group A. Symptomatic hemorrhagic transformation rate did not differ between the two groups. Multivariate analysis reported MT as the only predictor of early (<░12░h) favorable NIHSS shift and lower NIHSS at discharge. Moreover, discharge at home and excellent outcome at 3-month follow-up were statistically associated with MT. CONCLUSIONS: MT in patients with minor strokes and intracranial vessel occlusion (IVO) is safe and can determine a rapid improvement of NIHSS Score. MT seems also associated with a higher rate of patients discharged at home after hospitalization and better clinical outcome at 3-month follow-up. Larger randomized trials are warranted to confirm these results.

Safety of intravenous immunoglobulin in the elderly treated for a dysimmune neuromuscular disease.

INTRODUCTION: Many patients treated with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) are >60 years of age. Tolerability has yet to be demonstrated in this age group. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of adverse reactions among consecutive patients treated with IVIg for neurological disorders. Risk factors were recorded. Correlation and relative risks were calculated for age, risk factors, IVIg course, daily dose, concentration, preparation, and duration of treatment. An infusion and monitoring protocol was applied. RESULTS: Two hundred forty-four patients were reviewed, including 62% who were ≥60 years of age (total dose 1.8 ± 0.4 g/kg body weight, daily dose 30.3 ± 2.0 g). Sixty-nine percent received sugar-stabilized IVIg. Forty-nine percent presented with >1 risk factor. Adverse reactions occurred in 35% and led to treatment discontinuation in 5%, with a similar incidence among age groups. In patients ≥60 years old, sucrose-free IVIg administration was an independent predictor of adverse reactions, including renal failure. CONCLUSION: In the elderly, IVIg infusions are safe. Adverse reactions mainly depend on IVIg preparation and administration. Renal failure is not uncommon with sugar-free IVIg.

A case of homocystinuria due to CBS gene mutations revealed by cerebral venous thrombosis.

BACKGROUND: Homocystinuria caused by cystathionine beta synthase (CBS) deficiency is most often diagnosed in childhood and has a variable expressivity. The most frequent abnormalities include intellectual disability, ectopia lentis, myopia, skeletal abnormalities or thromboembolism. OBJECTIVE: To report a case of homocystinuria unraveled by cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT). OBSERVATION: A 17 year old female was admitted in our department of neurology for subacute headache and presented seizures in the emergency room. Cerebral imaging revealed CVT. Severe hyperhomocysteinemia was found and led to the diagnosis of homocystinuria due to composite heterozygous mutations in the CBS gene. Further investigations disclosed lens subluxation in association with myopia, mild scoliosis and osteopenia. The patient was treated by heparin followed by warfarin, vitamin therapy and dietary methionine restriction. Total homocysteine and methionine levels became normal in a few weeks and the patient had a complete recovery. CONCLUSION: In patients with CVT, plasma total homocysteine measurement as part of the etiologic work up may reveal severe hyperhomocysteinemia due to CBS or remethylation defects that require specific treatment and management including perhaps protein-restricted diet and/or vitamin therapy for life.

Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome and cervical artery dissection in 20 patients.

OBJECTIVES: To describe clinical-radiologic characteristics in a prospective series of patients having both confirmed reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) and cervical artery dissection (CeAD). METHODS: From January 2004 to December 2011, from our prospective cohorts of RCVS and CeAD, we studied patients with both conditions. RESULTS: Of 173 RCVS cases and 285 CeAD cases, 20 patients (18 women, 2 men; mean age 41 years) had both RCVS and CeAD. Main associated conditions were migraine (12/20) and postpartum (5/18). Clinical features included severe headache in all patients, neck pain in 15, focal neurologic deficit in 9, and seizures in 4. Pain was the only symptom in 10 patients. All patients had multifocal cerebral vasoconstriction. There were brain lesions in 12 patients, cortical subarachnoid hemorrhage in 11, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome in 4, intracerebral hemorrhage in 3, and infarcts in 4. CeAD involved one artery in 13 patients and multiple arteries in 7. CeAD mostly affected vertebral arteries (25 of 30 CeAD). Only one vertebral CeAD was associated with a related symptomatic infarct. At 3 months, 18 patients had fully recovered, all patients showed reversal of cerebral vasoconstriction, and 21 dissected arteries had normalized, whereas 9 arteries showed residual stenosis (7) and/or aneurysm (3). CONCLUSION: The association of RCVS and CeAD was found in 12% of our patients with RCVS and 7% of our patients with CeAD. Underlying mechanisms are unknown. In practice, our results point to the need for a systematic study of both cervical and intracranial arteries in the 2 conditions.

Cortical border-zone infarcts: clinical features, causes and outcome.

OBJECTIVE: To report the clinical features, causes and outcome of cerebral cortical border-zone infarcts BZI (C-BZI). METHODS: The authors prospectively included patients with MRI-confirmed C-BZI among individuals consecutively admitted in Stroke Unit. RESULTS: Forty-five patients presented C-BZI out of 589 with MRI-confirmed cerebral infarcts (7.6%). Particular clinical characteristics existed in C-BZI in comparison with other cerebral infarctions as a whole, including: (1) frequent transient symptoms at onset (27% vs 9%; p<0.001) and low severity score (NIHSS=3.1±3.0 vs 5.2±6.1; p=0.02); (2) early seizures in first 2 weeks (7/45 (15.6%) vs 12/544 (2.2%); p<0.001), even when focusing only on other infarctions involving the cerebral cortex (15.6% vs 4.3%; p<0.01); (3) heterogeneous clinical presentation but specific transcortical aphasia allowing a clinical suspicion of BZI before MRI; and (4) frequently associated internal carotid disease (69%), with subsequent early surgery in 75% of the cases. Following adapted care in stroke unit, C-BZIs' prognosis appeared good (Rankin score ≤2 at D90) for 82% of the patients. CONCLUSION: Some clinical features are overrepresented in such infarctions, including initial transient symptoms preceding the onset of a completed deficit, transcortical aphasia and early seizures. Despite lower initial severity, C-BZIs justify early management in stroke unit, often followed by carotid surgery, leading to an overall good prognosis.

Sinking skin flap syndrome and paradoxical herniation after hemicraniectomy for malignant hemispheric infarction.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: "Sinking skin flap" (SSF) syndrome is a rare complication after large craniectomy that may progress to "paradoxical" herniation as a consequence of atmospheric pressure exceeding intracranial pressure. The prevalence and characteristics of SSF syndrome after hemicraniectomy for malignant infarction of the middle cerebral artery are not well known. METHODS: We analyzed a prospective cohort of 27 patients who underwent hemicraniectomy for malignant middle cerebral artery infarction. All had a clinical and brain imaging follow-up at 3 months and were followed until cranioplasty. RESULTS: Three of 27 patients (11%) had, at 3 to 5 months posthemicraniectomy, SSF syndrome with severe orthostatic headache as the main symptom. In addition, 4 patients (15%) had radiological SSF syndrome but no clinical symptoms except partial seizures in one. Patients with SSF syndrome had a smaller surface of craniectomy (76.2 cm(2) versus 88.7 cm(2), P=0.05) and a tendency toward larger infarct volume, an older age, and a longer delay to cranioplasty than those without this syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: SSF syndrome either clinically symptomatic or asymptomatic affects one fourth of patients 3 to 5 months after hemicraniectomy for malignant middle cerebral artery infarction. It should be diagnosed as early as possible to avoid progression to a paradoxical herniation.

The clinical and radiological spectrum of reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome. A prospective series of 67 patients.

Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) is characterized by the association of severe headaches with or without additional neurological symptoms and a 'string and beads' appearance on cerebral arteries, which resolves spontaneously in 1-3 months. We present the clinical, neuroimaging and outcome data of 67 consecutive patients prospectively diagnosed over 3 years in our institution with an angiographically confirmed RCVS. There were 43 females and 24 males with a mean age of 42 years (19-70). RCVS was spontaneous in 37% of patients and secondary in the 63% others, to postpartum in 5 and to exposure to various vasoactive substances in 37, mainly cannabis, selective serotonin-recapture inhibitors and nasal decongestants. The main pattern of presentation (94% of patients) was multiple thunderclap headaches recurring over a mean period of 1 week. In 51 patients (76%), headaches resumed the clinical presentation. Various complications were observed, with different time courses. Cortical subarachnoid haemorrhage (cSAH) (22%), intracerebral haemorrhage (6%), seizures (3%) and reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy (9%) were early complications, occurring mainly within the first week. Ischaemic events, including TIAs (16%) and cerebral infarction (4%), occurred significantly later than haemorrhagic events, mainly during the second week. Significant sex differences were observed: women were older, had more frequent single-drug exposure and a higher rate of stroke and cSAH. Sixty-one patients were treated by nimodipine: 36% had recurrent headaches, 7% TIAs and one multiple infarcts. The different time courses of thunderclap headaches, vasoconstriction and strokes suggest that the responsible vasospastic disorder starts distally and progresses towards medium sized and large arteries. No relapse was observed during the 16 +/- 12.4 months of follow-up. Our data suggest that RCVS is more frequent than previously thought, is more often secondary particularly to vasoactive substances, and should be considered in patients with recurrent thunderclap headaches, cSAH or cryptogenic strokes with severe headaches.