Post-stroke dysphagia: Clinical characteristics and evolution in a single-primary stroke center.

BACKGROUND: Dysphagia is a common manifestation after stroke and seems to play a major role in clinical and functional outcomes. OBJECTIVES: To identify clinical predictors of higher degrees of dysphagia, as well as assess its burden in our hospital, in order to understand how to improve the approach to this symptom. METHODS: We included 311 patients admitted in an acute stroke unit in a year-long period. The relationship of dysphagia with different outcomes, both in acute phase and within the first year after stroke, were investigated. RESULTS: Using the Pearson Correlation Coefficient, NIHSS score at admission was positively correlated with the degree of dysphagia (r = 0,783; p < 0,001) and total anterior circulation infarcts and age (> 70 years) were also associated with higher risk of dysphagia (p < 0.001). During hospitalization both respiratory infections and mortality occurred at significantly higher rates for dysphagic patients (p < 0.001) and we observed an increasing trend towards a higher mortality rate, the higher the degree of dysphagia. These patients stayed longer in the stroke unit, with less chance to be discharged home and more frequently transferred to inpatient rehabilitation care. One year after admission, dysphagic patients were more frequently readmitted due to pneumonia and we observed a higher mortality rate compared to patients without dysphagia (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The presence of the above-mentioned dysphagia predictive factors should alert us to the need for an early approach, starting in the stroke unit, but also after discharge, taking into account its impact on clinical outcomes, mortality and healthcare costs.

Peripheral neuropathy in systemic vasculitis and other autoimmune diseases - a report of five cases emphasizing the importance of etiologic characterization.

INTRODUCTION: Peripheral neuropathies may present in the context of systemic vasculitis and other autoimmune diseases. The etiologic characterization is crucial to define the treatment and prognosis in secondary vasculitis. The purpose of this study is to describe the pathway of etiologic investigation including the role of nerve biopsy. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of patients seen in the neuromuscular outpatient clinic during the last four years with peripheral neuropathy in the context of systemic vasculitis or other autoimmune diseases. RESULTS: We present five patients with stepwise progressive sensorimotor deficits of upper and lower limbs. All patients presented with systemic features and one of them had an established diagnosis of systemic vasculitis. They underwent an extended blood panel, including autoimmune and serologic tests. Electromyography and nerve conduction studies revealed asymmetric axonal sensorimotor polyneuropathies in four patients, and an axonal sensorimotor multiple mononeuropathy in one. Four patients underwent nerve biopsy and the other performed a skin biopsy, with findings suggestive of possible vasculitic processes. The etiologies identified included microscopic polyangiitis, HBV-related polyarteritis nodosa and two eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis. In the last patient a specific etiology could not be established. CONCLUSION: This series reveals the etiologic and phenotypic diversity of peripheral neuropathies related with systemic vasculitis. The therapeutic approach and prognosis were distinct in each patient, emphasizing the importance of a prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

Acute Ischemic Stroke in Pregnancy.

Stroke is an uncommon but serious potential complication of pregnancy. The management of acute ischemic stroke in pregnant women remains a complex challenge that extends beyond the limits of clinical trial evidence. Patient 1 was a 29-year-old woman 27 weeks into her first pregnancy, without remarkable past medical history or vascular risk factors. She was admitted 1 h after sudden onset of a left total anterior circulation syndrome (National Institute of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS] score of 23). CT and angio-CT scans were normal. Thrombolysis was performed, with mild clinical improvement. Brain MRI showed multi-territorial embolic events. Extended blood panel, cervical-transcranial ultrasound, 48-h ECG monitoring, and transthoracic echocardiogram were unremarkable. She was started on aspirin and low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH), giving birth to a healthy child 10 weeks later. Patient 2 was a 45-year-old woman 34 weeks into her pregnancy, without remarkable past medical history or vascular risk factors. She was admitted 30 min after sudden onset of a left partial anterior circulation syndrome, already partially recovered (NIHSS score of 4). The CT scan showed only a subacute right incidental middle cerebral artery infarct, while the angio-CT confirmed a left M3 branch occlusion. Thrombolysis and thrombectomy were contraindicated by the recent contralateral infarct, mild deficits, and distal occlusion site. Brain MRI also suggested an embolic etiology and LMWH was started. Extended blood panel, 48-h ECG monitoring, and transthoracic echocardiogram were normal. She gave birth to a healthy baby 4 weeks later. These cases emphasize the growing real-world evidence of the emergent use of CT, IV contrast, and recombinant tissue plasminogen activator in pregnant women with acute stroke, while also illustrating the importance of an individualized management, accounting for the safety of both mother and child.

Motor task performance under vibratory feedback early poststroke: single center, randomized, cross-over, controlled clinical trial.

Stroke rehabilitation is far from meeting patient needs in terms of timing, intensity and quality. This study evaluates the efficacy and safety of an innovative technological tool, combining 3D motion analysis with targeted vibratory feedback, on upper-limb task performance early poststroke (<4 weeks). The study design was a two-sequence, two-period, randomized, crossover trial (NCT01967290) in 44 patients with upper-limb motor deficit (non-plegic) after medial cerebral artery ischemia. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either the experimental session (repetitive motor task under vibratory feedback and 3D motor characterization) or the active comparator (3D motor characterization only). The primary outcome was the number of correct movements per minute on a hand-to-mouth task measured independently. Vibratory feedback was able to modulate motor training, increasing the number of correct movements by an average of 7.2/min (95%CI [4.9;9.4]; P < 0.001) and reducing the probability of performing an error from 1:3 to 1:9. This strategy may improve the efficacy of training on motor re-learning processes after stroke, and its clinical relevance deserves further study in longer duration trials.