Immediate regression of leukoaraiosis after carotid artery revascularization.

BACKGROUND: Leukoaraiosis (LA) affects cognition after stroke and reversal of LA may improve cognitive performance. We aimed to determine the impact of cerebral perfusion and circle of Willis (CoW) flow patterns on the extent of LA after carotid artery revascularization. METHODS: LA was scored on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery magnetic resonance (MR) images at the levels of the centrum semiovale and frontal horns in both cerebral hemispheres of 62 contiguous patients (men/women = 38/24, mean age = 63.2 ± 8.4 years, range 44-82) before and after unilateral carotid artery revascularization. The pre- and poststenting differences in LA scores, CoW flow pattern on MR angiography, and MR perfusion parameters were analyzed. RESULTS: The total LA score decreased from 9.87 ± 0.65 to 8.33 ± 0.72 after stenting (p = 0.03). The CoW was complete in 21 subjects and incomplete in 41 subjects. The incomplete CoW group had a higher preoperative LA load and higher cerebral interhemispheric asymmetry index, both of which decreased significantly postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: CoW anomalies may contribute to LA in patients with carotid artery stenosis, and restoration of cerebral perfusion by carotid artery revascularization can reduce LA severity.

Associations between Circle of Willis morphology and white matter lesion load in subjects with carotid artery stenosis.

BACKGROUND: Various cerebral pathological changes have been reported to cause leukoaraiosis (LA). We hypothesized that circle of Willis (CoW) anomalies may contribute to LA in severe carotid artery stenosis victims through impaired cerebral autoregulation. We conducted a retrospective review on cerebral magnetic resonance (MR) patterns in patients with severe symptomatic carotid artery stenosis and compared white matter lesion (WML) load between subjects with and without complete CoW. METHODS: LA on fluid attenuation inversion recovery (FLAIR) MR images at the levels of the centrum semiovale and frontal horns in both cerebral hemispheres were scored in 106 patients with unilateral carotid artery stenosis (64 men and 42 women; mean age 68.7 ± 9.2 years, range 44-82). Subjects were divided into groups of complete and incomplete CoW according to cerebral MR angiography. Differences in the LA scores between the groups of complete and incomplete CoW were further analyzed. RESULTS: Compared with those with incomplete configuration of the CoW, subjects with a complete CoW demonstrated a decreased WML load at the level of the centrum semiovale (2.78 ± 1.17 vs. 5.62 ± 2.12, p = 0.02) and frontal horns (2.21 ± 0.79 vs. 4.22 ± 1.83, p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Our results support the importance of a complete CoW since it may protect from WML in case of carotid stenosis.

Timing of Symptomatic Infarct Swelling Following Intravenous Thrombolysis in Acute Middle Cerebral Artery Infarction: A Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: The risk of symptomatic infarct swelling has been reported to be higher in patients treated with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the timing of symptomatic infarct swelling after rt-PA treatment. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 14 868 patients with acute ischemic stroke from a stroke registry databank. We recruited patients with massive middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarction and symptomatic infarct swelling and excluded those with parenchymal or symptomatic hemorrhage. Multiple linear regression and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the impact of rt-PA on the timing of symptomatic infarct swelling. RESULTS: A total of 23 patients with rt-PA treatment and 117 patients without rt-PA treatment were included. The rt-PA treatment group had a lower rate of coronary artery disease (8.7% vs 32.5%; P = .023), lower severity of baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (19 vs 23; P = .014), shorter duration of infarct swelling (27.6 vs 45.4 hours; P < .001), and higher rate of hemicraniectomy surgery (65.2% vs 28.2%; P =.001) than those without rt-PA treatment. After adjusting for variables in multiple linear regression analysis, rt-PA treatment and an elevated C-reactive protein level were associated with early symptomatic infarct swelling ( P = .014 and P = .041, respectively). The rt-PA treatment was an independent factor related to early symptomatic infarct swelling within 36 hours ( P = .005; odds ratio [OR]: 5.3; confidence interval [CI]: 1.65-17.0) or 48 hours ( P = .009; OR: 16.4; CI: 2.00-134). CONCLUSION: Intravenous rt-PA treatment may hasten the onset of cerebral edema and subsequent cerebral herniation in large MCA territory infarction.

Comparisons of outcomes in stroke subtypes after intravenous thrombolysis.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the outcomes and complications between stroke subtypes after intravenous thrombolysis. A total of 471 patients with acute ischemic stroke after intravenous thrombolysis from January 2007 to April 2014 were enrolled and classified according to the Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to evaluate the outcomes and complications among stroke subtypes after adjusting for baseline variables. Of the 471 patients, 117 (25.1 %) had large-artery atherosclerosis (LAA), 148 (31.8 %) had cardioembolism (CE), 82 (17.6 %) had small vessel disease (SVD), 119 (25.5 %) had undetermined etiology, and 5 (1.1 %) had other determined etiology. The patients with SVD had the mildest initial stroke severity and highest ratio of good and favorable outcomes, whereas those with CE had a higher rate of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) than those with SVD. After adjusting for confounding factors, the ratio of favorable outcome in the patients with SVD stroke was higher than in those with LAA. SVD was associated with a significantly lower rate of any hemorrhage compared to other stroke subtypes, whereas there were no differences in sICH or mortality between stroke subtypes. A lower initial National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was associated with good and favorable outcomes, and lower rates of sICH and mortality. The patients with SVD after intravenous thrombolysis had better outcomes and a lower rate of hemorrhage even after adjusting for confounding factors. Stroke severity was an independent factor associated with better functional outcomes, sICH and mortality.