Comparative Studies of Cerebral Reperfusion Injury in the Posterior and Anterior Circulations After Mechanical Thrombectomy.

Cerebral reperfusion injury is the major complication of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Contrast extravasation (CE) and intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) are the key radiographical features of cerebral reperfusion injury. The aim of this study was to investigate CE and ICH after MT in the anterior and posterior circulation, and their effect on functional outcome. This is a retrospective study of all consecutive patients who were treated with MT for AIS at University of California Irvine Medical Center between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2017. Patient characteristics, clinical features, procedural variables, contrast extravasation, ICH, and outcomes after MT were analyzed. A total of 131 patients with anterior circulation (AC) stroke and 25 patients with posterior circulation (PC) stroke underwent MT during the study period. There was no statistically significant difference in admission NIHSS score, blood pressure, rate of receiving intravenous tPA, procedural variables, contrast extravasation, and symptomatic ICH between the 2 groups. Patients with PC stroke had a similar rate of favorable outcome (mRS 0-2) but significantly higher mortality (40.0% vs. 10.7%, p < 0.01) than patients with AC stroke. Multivariate regression analysis identified initial NIHSS score (OR 1.1, CI 1.0-1.2, p = 0.01), number of passes with stent retriever (OR 2.1, CI 1.3-3.6, p < 0.01), and PC stroke (OR 9.3, CI 2.5-35.1, p < 0.01) as independent risk factors for death. There was no significant difference in functional outcomes between patients with and without evidence of cerebral reperfusion injury after MT. We demonstrated that AC and PC stroke had similar rates of cerebral reperfusion injury and favorable outcome after MT. Cerebral reperfusion injury is not a significant independent risk factor for poor functional outcome.

Update on antithrombotic therapy for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia in the elderly, affecting 1 in 20 adults over the age of 70 years. Stroke is a major yet highly preventable complication of AF, and the strokes related to AF often are disabling and fatal. Warfarin is the treatment of choice in high-risk patients with AF, and its superior efficacy over aspirin for preventing stroke in these patients is widely recognized. However, several eligible patients with AF are not being treated with warfarin or are being treated inadequately, largely because of concerns regarding the attendant strict monitoring, drug interactions, and risk of major bleeding. As such, alternative antithrombotic therapies that can rival or exceed the efficacy of warfarin, yet compare favorably with its administration and side effect profile, are being sought. One such strategy, the use of a combination antiplatelet regimen, for stroke prevention in high-risk patients with nonvalvular AF was investigated recently in two clinical trials. This article reviews the role of combination antiplatelet regimens in stroke prevention for patients with AF. Other therapies discussed include oral anticoagulation, single antiplatelet therapies, oral anticoagulation plus antiplatelet treatment, direct thrombin inhibitors, and factor Xa inhibitors.