RESUMEN
Background: Tandem lesions (TLs) cause up to 15-30% of all acute ischemic strokes (AISs). Endovascular treatment (EVT) is regarded as the first-line treatment; however, uncertainties remain with respect to the treatment and predictive outcome parameters. Here, we aimed to identify the clinical and demographic factors associated with functional short- and long-term outcomes in AIS patients with arteriosclerotic TLs undergoing EVT. Methods: This was a retrospective, mono-centric cohort study of 116 consecutive AIS patients with arteriosclerotic TLs who were endovascularly treated at a stroke center, with analysis of the relevant demographic, procedural, and imaging data. Results: A total of 116 patients were included in this study, with a median age of 72 years (IQR 63-80), 31% of whom were female (n = 36). The median NIHSS on admission was 14 (IQR 7-19), with a median ASPECT score of 9 (IQR 8-10) and median NASCET score of 99% (IQR 88-100%). A total of 52% of the patients received intravenous thrombolysis. In 77% (n = 89) of the patients, an antegrade EVT approach was used, with a good recanalization (mTICI2b3) achieved in 83% of patients (n = 96). Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage occurred in 12.7% (n = 15) of patients. A favorable outcome (mRS0-2) and mortality at 3 months were obtained for 40% (n = 47) and 28% of patients (n = 32), respectively. Age and NIHSS on admission were strongly associated with outcome parameters. Diabetes mellitus and previous neurological disorders were independently associated with long-term mortality (median 11 months, IQR 0-42). Conclusions: Younger age, lower stroke severity, and good recanalization were found to be independently associated with a favorable outcome. In contrast, older age, higher stroke severity, previous neurological disorders, and diabetes were correlated with mortality. The endovascular treatment of acute arteriosclerotic tandem lesions is feasible and relatively safe.
RESUMEN
Objectives: Apraxia is a common syndrome of left hemispheric stroke. A parieto-premotor-prefrontal network has been associated with apraxia, in which the left inferior parietal lobe (IPL-L) plays a major role. We hypothesized that transcranial continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) over the right inferior parietal lobe (IPL-R) improves gesturing by reducing its inhibition on the contralateral IPL in left hemispheric stroke patients. It was assumed that this effect is independent of lesion volume and that transcallosal connectivity is predictive for gestural effect after stimulation. Materials and methods: Nineteen stroke patients were recruited. Lesion volume and fractional anisotropy of the corpus callosum were acquired with structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Each patient had pseudorandomised sessions with sham or with stimulation over the IPL-R or over the right inferior frontal gyrus IFG-R. Gesturing was assessed in a double-blinded manner before and after each session. We tested the effects of stimulation on gesture performance using a linear mixed-effects model. Results: Pairwise treatment contrasts showed, that, compared to sham, the behavioral effect was higher after stimulation over IPL-R (12.08, 95% CI 6.04 - 18.13, p < 0.001). This treatment effect was approximately twice as high as the contrasts for IFG-R vs. sham (6.25, 95% CI -0.20 - 12.70, p = 0.058) and IPL-R vs. IFG-R vs. sham (5.83, 95% CI -0.49 - 12.15, p = 0.071). Furthermore, higher fractional anisotropy in the splenium (connecting the left and right IPL) were associated with higher behavioral effect. Relative lesion volume did not affect the changes after sham or stimulation over IPL-R or IFG-R. Conclusion: One single session of cTBS over the IPL-R improved gesturing after left hemispheric stroke. Denser microstructure in the corpus callosum correlated with favorable gestural response. We therefore propose the indirect transcallosal modulation of the IPL-L as a promising model of restoring interhemispheric balance, which may be useful in rehabilitation of apraxia.