Long-term risk of recurrent cerebrovascular events after patent foramen ovale closure: Results from a real-world stroke cohort.

INTRODUCTION: Patent foramen ovale (PFO)-closure is recommended for stroke prevention in selected patients with suspected PFO-associated stroke. However, studies on cerebrovascular event recurrence after PFO-closure are limited by relatively short follow-up periods and information on the underlying aetiology of recurrent events is scarce. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All consecutive patients with a cerebral ischaemic event and PFO-closure at the University Hospital Graz were prospectively identified from 2004 to 2021. Indication for PFO-closure was based on a neurological-cardiological PFO board decision. Patients underwent standardized clinical and echocardiographic follow-up 6 months after PFO-closure. Recurrent cerebrovascular events were assessed via electronical health records. RESULTS: PFO-closure was performed in 515 patients (median age: 49 years; Amplatzer PFO occluder: 42%). Over a median follow-up of 11 years (range: 2-18 years, 5141 total patient-years), recurrent ischaemic cerebrovascular events were observed in 34 patients (ischaemic stroke: n = 22, TIA: n = 12) and associated with age, hyperlipidaemia and smoking in multivariable analysis (p < 0.05 each). Large artery atherosclerosis and small vessel disease were the most frequent aetiologies of recurrent stroke/TIA (27% and 24% respectively), and only two events were related to atrial fibrillation (AF). Recurrent ischaemic cerebrovascular event rates and incident AF were comparable in patients treated with different PFO occluders (p > 0.1). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: In this long-term follow-up-study of patients with a cerebral ischaemic event who had received PFO-closure with different devices, rates of recurrent stroke/TIA were low and largely related to large artery atherosclerosis and small vessel disease. Thorough vascular risk factor control seems crucial for secondary stroke prevention in patients treated for PFO-related stroke.

Post-reperfusion hyperperfusion after endovascular stroke treatment: a prospective comparative study of TCD versus MRI.

BACKGROUND: Increased middle cerebral artery (MCA) blood flow velocities on transcranial duplex sonography (TCD) were recently reported in individual patients after successful mechanical thrombectomy (MT) and were related to intracranial hemorrhage and poor outcome. However, the retrospective study design of prior studies precluded elucidation of the underlying pathomechanisms, and the relationship between TCD and brain parenchymal perfusion still remains to be determined. METHODS: We prospectively investigated consecutive patients with stroke successfully recanalized by MT with TCD and MRI including contrast-enhanced perfusion sequences within 48 hours post-intervention. Increased MCA flow on TCD was defined as >30% mean blood flow velocity in the treated MCA compared with the contralateral MCA. MRI blood flow maps served to assess hyperperfusion rated by neuroradiologists blinded to TCD. RESULTS: A total of 226 patients recanalized by MT underwent post-interventional TCD and 92 patients additionally had perfusion MRI. 85 patients (38%) had increased post-interventional MCA flow on TCD. Of these, 10 patients (12%) had an underlying focal stenosis. Increased TCD blood flow in the recanalized MCA was associated with larger infarct size, vasogenic edema, intracranial hemorrhage and poor 90-day outcome (all p≤0.005). In the subgroup for which both TCD and perfusion MRI were available, 29 patients (31%) had increased ipsilateral MCA flow velocities on TCD. Of these, 25 patients also showed parenchymal hyperperfusion on MRI (sensitivity 85%; specificity 62%). Hyperperfusion severity on MRI correlated with MCA flow velocities on TCD (rs=0.379, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: TCD is a reliable bedside tool to identify post-reperfusion hyperperfusion, correlates well with perfusion MRI, and indicates risk of reperfusion injury after MT.

Mean Platelet Volume Does Not Predict Restenosis After Carotid Artery Stenting in Whites.

Background and Purpose- Mean platelet volume (MPV) indicates platelet activity possibly affecting patient's risk for progressive atherosclerotic disease. A recent study identified elevated MPV as a predictor of in-stent restenosis (ISR) after carotid artery stenting (CAS) in a Chinese population. However, the role of MPV on the development of ISR following CAS in whites is yet unknown. Methods- We retrospectively identified all consecutive patients who underwent CAS for atherosclerotic disease at our center from 2005 to 2017. All patients were followed clinically and by duplex sonography at 1, 3, and 6 months and annually after CAS. ISR was defined as ≥50% stenosis (NASCET [North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial] criteria) in the treated vessel. MPV was assessed before CAS, at last follow-up and at the time of ISR detection. Results- Of 392 patients with CAS (mean age 68.5±9.5 years, 26.8% women, 42.3% symptomatic stenosis), 54 had ISR after a mean follow-up time of 32 months. Baseline MPV was not different in ISR compared with non-ISR patients (10.7 versus 10.6 fL, P=0.316). MPV levels did also not change from baseline to ISR detection (P=0.310) and were not associated with recurrent stroke or vascular events (P>0.5). Multivariable analysis identified active smoking as the sole risk factor for carotid ISR (odds ratio, 2.53 [95% CI, 1.21-5.29]). Conclusions- We did not identify MPV as a risk factor for ISR after CAS in whites. Smoking cessation is an important target to avoid this complication.

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty with stenting in extended supra-aortic artery dissection.

A 51-year-old man underwent two percutaneous transluminal angioplasties with stenting for a dissection that extended from the right brachiocephalic trunk into the proximal part of the internal carotid artery. The patient presented with transient dysphasia one month after surgical treatment of a type A dissecting aortic aneurysm. Initially, he was managed with conservative treatment, with no effect on the dissected arteries. Two stents were then successfully placed over the site of dissection to prevent further embolization. At follow-up 29 months after stent implantation, the patient was asymptomatic and ultrasound examination demonstrated no recurrence of dissection at the stented segment. This case suggests that stenting could be a successful treatment of cervical artery dissection.