CT Evolution of Hematoma and Surrounding Hypodensity in a Cadaveric Model of Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: The evolution of intracerebral hematoma and perihematoma edema in the ultra-early period on computed tomographic (CT) scans in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is not well understood. We aimed to investigate hematoma and perihematoma changes in "neutral brain" models of ICH. METHODS: One human and five goat cadaveric heads were used as "neutral brains" to provide physical properties of brain without any biological activity or new bleeding. ICH was induced by slow injection of 4 ml of fresh human blood into the right basal ganglia of the goat brains. Similarly, 20 ml of fresh blood was injected deep into the white matter of the human cadaver head in each hemisphere. Serial CT scans of the heads were obtained immediately after hematoma induction and then 1, 3, and 5 hours afterward. Analyze software (AnalyzeDirect, Overland Park, KS, USA) was used to measure hematoma and perihematoma hypodensity volumes in the baseline and follow-up CT scans. RESULTS: The initial hematoma volumes of 11.6 ml and 10.5 ml in the right and left hemispheres of the cadaver brains gradually decreased to 6.6 ml and 5.4 ml at 5 hours, showing 43% and 48% retraction of hematoma, respectively. The volume of the perihematoma hypodensity in the right and left hemisphere increased from 2.6 ml and 2.2 ml in the 1-hour follow-up CT scans to 4.9 ml and 4.4 ml in the 5-hour CT scan, respectively. Hematoma retraction was also observed in all five goat brains ICH models with the mean ICH volume decreasing from 1.49 ml at baseline scan to 1.01 ml at the 5-hour follow-up CT scan (29.6% hematoma retraction). Perihematoma hypodensity was visualized in 70% of ICH in goat brains, with an increasing mean hypodensity volume of 0.4 ml in the baseline CT scan to 0.8 ml in the 5-hour follow-up CT scan. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that substantial hematoma retraction and perihematoma hypodensity occurs in ICH in the absence of any new bleeding or biological activity of surrounding brain. Such observations suggest that active bleeding is underestimated in patients with no or small hematoma expansion and our understanding of perihematoma hypodensity needs to be reconsidered.

Walk score and risk of stroke and stroke subtypes among town residents.

BACKGROUND: Regular physical activity, including light-to-moderate activity, such as walking, has well-established benefits for reducing the risk of ischemic stroke. It remains unknown, however, whether the characteristics of cities themselves can influence the risk of stroke by promoting such activity. OBJECTIVES: We tested the hypothesis that how walkable a city will be associated with the risk of ischemic stroke in persons residing in that city. METHODS: We calculated the age-adjusted annual incidence rates of ischemic stroke among residents in each of the 63 cities in Minnesota for which Walk Scores were available using 2011 Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) data. Walk Score®, an online service, uses an exclusive algorithm to compute a walkability score between 0 and 100 for any location within the United States. The score is calculated based on the distance to amenities in nine categories (grocery, restaurants, shopping, coffee, banks, parks, schools, books, and entertainment) weighed according to their importance. RESULTS: There are 2,910,435 persons residing in the 63 Minnesota cities in our data (average population per town is 46,197). The average Walk Score of the 63 towns in Minnesota was 34, ranging from 14 to 69. The average median age of residents was similar in tertiles of towns based on Walk Score as follows: ≤25 (n=9) 36 years; 26-50 (n=46) 37 years; and 51-100 (n=8) 35 years. The age-adjusted incidence of ischemic stroke was similar in tertiles of towns based on Walk Score as follows: ≤25 (n=9) 341 per 100,000; 26-50 (n=46) 308 per 100,000; and 51-100 (n=8) 330 per 100,000 residents. The correlation between age-adjusted ischemic stroke incidence and Walk Score was low (R (2)=0.09) within Minnesota. CONCLUSIONS: The ready availability of indices such as Walk Score make them attractive options for ischemic stroke risk correlation. Despite the lack of relationship in our study, further studies are required to measure the magnitude and health benefits of light-to-moderate activities performed within a town.

Paradoxical increase in stroke mortality among Asian Indians in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: To better characterize the stroke mortality and risk factors among Asian Indians by using U.S. multiple-cause-of-death and National Health and Interview Survey data. METHODS: Age-adjusted fatal stroke incidence, stroke rate ratio with 95% confidence interval, and average annual percentage change (APC) over 10 years were calculated. RESULTS: The annual incidence of stroke mortality in 2000 was lowest among Asian Indians (88 per 100,000) followed by American Indians and Alaska Natives (112 per 100,000), whites (301 per 100,000) and African Americans (312 per 100,000). Significantly lower rates of hypertension and cigarette smoking in Asian Indians in 2000-2001 (compared with whites) explained the lower rates of stroke mortality. The APC increase over subsequent 10 years was 13.5%, 0.9%, -2.5%, and -2.9% for Asian Indians, American Indians and Alaska Natives, whites, and African Americans, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: There is a paradoxical increase in stroke mortality among Asian Indians over the last 10 years in contrast to other population subsets.

Vitamin D deficiency and osteoporosis in stroke survivors: an analysis of National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES).

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: An inverse association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels and stroke was emphasized in recent studies. Our objective was to determine the rate of Vitamin D deficiency and risk of associated osteoporosis among stroke survivors in a nationally representative population. METHODS: Participants from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2001 to 2006 were included. Stroke survivors were then divided into two groups depending on serum 25(OH)D levels: <30 ng/dl as Vitamin D deficiency and ≥30 ng/dl as normal. Comparisons of demographics and risk factors between two groups were performed using SAS software. Multivariate analysis was performed to determine the association between Vitamin D deficiency and osteopororis in stroke survivors after adjusting for potential confounding factors. RESULTS: There were 415 (4.0%) stroke survivors among 10,255 participants in NHANES. The mean age (±SD) of stroke survivors was 67.6 (±17.3) years and 211 (50.8%) were men. Mean 25(OH)D concentrations were not significantly different in patients with stroke (20.3 versus 21.8 ng/ml, p = 0.65) although the rate of osteoporosis was significantly higher among stroke survivors (17.9% versus 6.9%, p < 0.0001). Out of 415 stroke patients, Vitamin D deficiency was seen in 71.0% of patients. The rates of osteoporosis were similar between patients with or without Vitamin D deficiency. After adjusting for potential confounders, there was no association between Vitamin D deficiency and osteoporosis. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D deficiency and osteoporosis are highly prevalent among stroke survivors; however, there does not appear to be a relationship between the two entities.

Should ischemic stroke patients with aphasia or high National Institutes of Health stroke scale score undergo preprocedural intubation and endovascular treatment?

BACKGROUND: Presence of aphasia or severe neurologic deficits is considered an indication for preprocedural intubation (PPI) for endovascular treatment (ET) in acute ischemic stroke patients. We determined the feasibility, technical success rates, and outcomes of ET without PPI in 2 groups of patients: those with aphasia and those with an admission NIHSS score of 20 or more. METHODS: The rates of intraprocedural intubation (IPI), good functional outcome at discharge (modified Rankin Scale score of 0-2), mortality, and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) were compared between those who did or did not undergo PPI in the above-mentioned patient groups. RESULTS: A total of 60 (50%) of 120 patients with aphasia underwent ET without PPI; 6 of 60 patients required IPI. The odds of any ICH (odds ratio [OR] 6.3) and in-hospital mortality (OR 9.3) were significantly higher in those undergoing PPI. In the second analysis, 36 (39%) of 93 patients with an NIHSS score of 20 or more underwent ET without PPI; 6 of 57 patients required IPI. The risk of any ICH (OR 7.6) and in-hospital mortality (OR 5.0) was higher among patients who underwent PPI. The rates of good outcome at discharge were significantly lower among patients with aphasia (OR .1, 95% confidence interval [CI] .04-.2) or those with an NIHSS score of 20 or more (OR .07, 95% CI .005-.9) with PPI compared with those without PPI. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the risk of IPI, patients with aphasia or an admission NIHSS score of 20 or more who underwent ET with PPI had lower rates of good outcomes and higher rates of ICH and death.