Fly and treat: Endovascular treatment of ruptured aneurysms at an insular tertiary center.

(Objectives) Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is a life-threatening condition associated with poor outcomes. Early intervention is critical, particularly in low-volume hospitals, which are advised to transfer aSAH patients to high-volume centers. This study examines a novel protocol implemented in 2016 at Região Autónoma da Madeira, a Portuguese island. It involves the mobilization of experienced neurointerventionalists from high-volume hospitals to provide aSAH treatment. (Methods) We conducted a retrospective analysis on 30 aSAH patients who underwent endovascular treatment at the island center between November 2016 and April 2022. Additionally, we included a comparison group of 74 aSAH patients, treated with the endovascular approach at Hospital de Braga (high volume center at Portugal mainland). (Results) There was no statistical difference in patients' clinical severity between both hospitals (median WFNS score of 1). Although 90 % of patients in the novel protocol group received treatment within 3 days, we observed a significant delay compared to Hospital de Braga. Rates of aneurysm occlusion and intra-procedure complications between the two groups were similar. At the 3-months follow-up, there were no statistically significant differences between groups regarding patients that achieved a modified Rankin score of 2 or less. However, the island center exhibited a significantly higher mortality rate. (Conclusions) Overall, our results suggest that making the neurointerventionalist fly to an insular center is feasible and allows most patients to be treated within the first 72 h, as recommended. We highlight some potential recommendations for implementing this model and discuss possible causes that might justify the high mortality rate.

Early plasma biomarker dynamic profiles are associated with acute ischemic stroke outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Early outcome prediction after acute ischemic stroke (AIS) might be improved with blood-based biomarkers. We investigated whether the longitudinal profile of a multi-marker panel could predict the outcome of successfully recanalized AIS patients. METHODS: We used ultrasensitive single-molecule array (Simoa) to measure glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), neurofilament light chain (NfL), total-tau (t-tau) and ELISA for brevican in a prospective study of AIS patients with anterior circulation large vessel occlusion successfully submitted to thrombectomy. Plasma was obtained at admission, upon treatment, 24 h and 72 h after treatment. Clinical and neuroimaging outcomes were assessed independently. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients (64.8%) had good early clinical or neuroimaging outcome. Baseline biomarker levels did not distinguish between outcomes. However, longitudinal intra-individual biomarker changes followed different dynamic profiles with time and according to outcome. GFAP levels exhibited an early and prominent increase between admission and just after treatment. NfL increase was less pronounced between admission and up to 24 h. T-tau increased between treatment and 24 h. Interestingly, GFAP rate-of-change (pg/ml/h) between admission and immediately after recanalization had a good discriminative capacity between clinical outcomes (AUC = 0.88, p < 0.001), which was higher than admission CT-ASPECTS (AUC = 0.75, p < 0.01). T-tau rate-of-change provided moderate discriminative capacity (AUC = 0.71, p < 0.05). Moreover, in AIS patients with admission CT-ASPECTS <9 both GFAP and NfL rate-of-change were good outcome predictors (AUC = 0.82 and 0.77, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Early GFAP, t-tau and NfL rate-of-change in plasma can predict AIS clinical and neuroimaging outcome after successful recanalization. Such dynamic measures match and anticipate neuroimaging predictive capacity, potentially improving AIS patient stratification for treatment, and targeting individualized stroke care.

Posterior Circulation Stroke: Coma (More Than Time) is Brain.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Contrary to anterior circulation, the legitimacy of endovascular treatment in posterior circulation stroke is still being questioned. Finding reliable prognostic factors and determining how patient selection should be done has become top priority. METHODS: Observational and retrospective study from two Portuguese hospitals, including all consecutive patients with posterior circulation occlusions who underwent thrombectomy between January 1st 2015 and December 31st 2019. RESULTS: Out of a total of 126 patients, the median age was 74 (IQR 61-80) and 39.7% were female. A good clinical outcome (mRS ≤2) was associated with a lower incidence of coma (24,2% vs 66,7%, p < 0,001) and of sudden onset coma (3% vs 18%,=0,04), a lower NIHSS at admission (14 vs 19, p < 0,001), a higher pc-ASPECTS at admission (10 vs 9, p < 0,001) and at 24 h (8 vs 6, p < 0,001) and a higher BATMAN score (7 vs 6, p = 0,017). Differences in the times of symptom-onset-to-recanalization (496 vs 536, p = 0,19) and symptom-onset-to-coma (130 vs 195, p = 0,52) were not remarkable. When excluding NIHSS and pc-ASPECTS at 24 h, coma (p = 0,003; OR=0,22; 95% CI: 0,08-0,59) and the pc-ASPECTS at admission (p = 0,037; OR=1,63; 95% CI: 1,03-2,57) become independent predictors of good outcome. CONCLUSIONS: In strokes from the posterior circulation, coma, more than time, appears to be an important prognostic factor. The BATMAN and the pc-ASPECTS scores were also associated with clinical outcome and coma.

Nationwide Access to Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke in Portugal.

INTRODUCTION: Since the publication of endovascular treatment trials and European Stroke Guidelines, Portugal has re-organized stroke healthcare. The nine centers performing endovascular treatment are not equally distributed within the country, which may lead to differential access to endovascular treatment. Our main aim was to perform a descriptive analysis of the main treatment metrics regarding endovascular treatment in mainland Portugal and its administrative districts. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective national multicentric cohort study was conducted, including all ischemic stroke patients treated with endovascular treatment in mainland Portugal over two years (July 2015 to June 2017). All endovascular treatment centers contributed to an anonymized database. Demographic, stroke-related and procedure-related variables were collected. Crude endovascular treatment rates were calculated per 100 000 inhabitants for mainland Portugal, and each district and endovascular treatment standardized ratios (indirect age-sex standardization) were also calculated. Patient time metrics were computed as the median time between stroke onset, first-door, and puncture. RESULTS: A total of 1625 endovascular treatment procedures were registered. The endovascular treatment rate was 8.27/100 000 inhabitants/year. We found regional heterogeneity in endovascular treatment rates (1.58 to 16.53/100 000/year), with higher rates in districts closer to endovascular treatment centers. When analyzed by district, the median time from stroke onset to puncture ranged from 212 to 432 minutes, reflecting regional heterogeneity. DISCUSSION: Overall endovascular treatment rates and procedural times in Portugal are comparable to other international registries. We found geographic heterogeneity, with lower endovascular treatment rates and longer onset-to-puncture time in southern and inner regions. CONCLUSION: The overall national rate of EVT in the first two years after the organization of EVT-capable centers is one of the highest among European countries, however, significant regional disparities were documented. Moreover, stroke-onset-to-first-door times and in-hospital procedural times in the EVT centers were comparable to those reported in the randomized controlled trials performed in high-volume tertiary hospitals.

Introdução: A aprovação do tratamento endovascular para o acidente vascular cerebral isquémico obrigou à reorganização dos cuidados de saúde em Portugal. Os nove centros que realizam tratamento endovascular não estão distribuídos equitativamente pelo território, o que poderá causar acesso diferencial a tratamento. O principal objetivo deste estudo é realizar uma análise descritiva da frequência e métricas temporais do tratamento endovascular em Portugal continental e seus distritos. Material e Métodos: Estudo de coorte nacional multicêntrico, incluindo todos os doentes com acidente vascular cerebral isquémico submetidos a tratamento endovascular em Portugal continental durante um período de dois anos (julho 2015 a junho 2017). Foram colhidos dados demográficos, relacionados com o acidente vascular cerebral e variáveis do procedimento. Taxas de tratamento endovascular brutas e ajustadas (ajuste indireto a idade e sexo) foram calculadas por 100 000 habitantes/ano para Portugal continental e cada distrito. Métricas de procedimento como tempo entre instalação, primeira porta e punção foram também analisadas. Resultados: Foram registados 1625 tratamentos endovasculares, indicando uma taxa bruta nacional de tratamento endovascular de 8,27/100 000 habitantes/ano. As taxas de tratamento endovascular entre distritos variaram entre 1,58 e 16,53/100 000/ano, com taxas mais elevadas nos distritos próximos a hospitais com tratamento endovascular. O tempo entre sintomas e punção femural entre distritos variou entre 212 e 432 minutos. Discussão: A análise nacional a taxas de tratamento endovascular e tempos de atuação é comparável a outros registos internacionais. Verificaram-se heterogeneidades geográficas, com taxas de tratamento endovascular menores e maior tempo para tratamento nos distritos do sul e interior. Conclusão: Portugal continental apresenta uma taxa nacional de tratamento endovascular elevada, apresentando, contudo, assimetrias regionais no acesso. As métricas temporais foram comparáveis com as observadas nos ensaios clínicos piloto.

Vestibular Schwannoma Leading to Contacting Aneurysm Rupture: An Unusual Presentation.

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a rare manifestation of brain tumors, being even rarer in vestibular schwannomas. We report the second case of a posterior circulation aneurysm close to the tumor capsule, responsible for SAH as an initial manifestation of a vestibular schwannoma. A 67-year-old female was admitted to the Emergency Department with sudden onset of nausea and headache. A diagnosis of a SAH and a tumor of the right cerebellopontine angle was made. An angiography showed an aneurysm in the dependency of the right anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA), juxtaposed to the tumor capsule. The patient underwent surgery, the tumor was removed, and the aneurysm was treated. This case highlights that SAH in patients with vestibular schwannoma may originate from a contact aneurysm. Although exceedingly rare, surgeons should consider this scenario in vestibular schwannoma presenting with SAH, and angiography is important for its diagnosis.

Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension Followed by Intracranial Hypertension.

INTRODUCTION: Spontaneous intracranial hypotension is a secondary cause of headache caused by suspected cerebrospinal fluid leaks. It is associated with vascular changes that may predispose to superficial siderosis. When treated with an epidural blood patch, rebound intracranial hypertension may ensue. CASE REPORT: A 55-year-old man presented with orthostatic headaches responsive to rest and hydration. Brain magnetic resonance revealed subdural collections, consistent with intracranial hypotension. Three weeks later, the patient experienced sudden severe holocranial headache and spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage was found. This resulted in rebound intracranial hypertension with bilateral papilledema and sixth-nerve palsy, which completely resolved with acetazolamide. DISCUSSION: Spontaneous intracranial hypotension may predispose to subarachnoid hemorrhage through vascular compensatory changes. Blood in subarachnoid space may seal the hidden cerebrospinal fluid leak or trigger an inflammatory reaction, leading to rebound intracranial hypertension, a well-known epidural blood patch complication.

Mechanical thrombectomy in patients with acute basilar occlusion using stent retrievers.

BACKGROUND: Early arterial recanalisation with stent retrievers (SR) has been recently demonstrated to improve clinical outcome of patients with large-vessel occlusion of the anterior circulation. However, the benefit of SR thrombectomy in the setting of acute basilar artery occlusion (BAO) has not been proven yet. This study evaluated a series of consecutive patients with BAO treated with SR, focusing on the efficacy, safety and clinical results. METHODS: We analysed 24 consecutive patients with acute BAO who were treated with SR mechanical thrombectomy. Good clinical outcome at three months was defined as mRS ≤ 2. Data from patients with good outcome were compared to that from patients with poor outcome. RESULTS: Sufficient recanalisation (TICI 2 b or 3) was achieved in 63% (15/24) of patients. At three months, 33% (8/24) of patients had died; good clinical outcome was obtained in 21% (5/24). Age (46 vs. 60 years old, p = 0.05) and time from symptoms onset to recanalisation (370 vs. 521 minutes, p = 0.048) was significantly lower in patients with good outcome as compared to patients with poor outcome. There were three cases (12.5%) of periprocedural complications, all of them related to arterial wall dissection/perforation. CONCLUSIONS: SR thrombectomy might be an efficient and safe treatment for patients with acute BAO occlusion and might help improve outcome.

Acute ischemic stroke secondary to glioblastoma. A case report.

Glioblastoma is a malignant infiltrative glial tumor occurring most often over 50 years of age, with diverse clinical presentations. We describe a case of temporal lobe glioblastoma with a rare presentation as an acute ischemic stroke, discussing the imaging and histopathological findings, and reviewing the literature. A 77-year-old woman had sudden onset of left hemiparesis and hemihypoesthesia. The neuroradiological studies revealed an acute ischemic lesion in the right lenticulostriate arteries territory and a right anterior temporal lobe tumor, enhancing heterogeneously after contrast with enhancement of the right middle cerebral artery wall. Histopathological analysis of the resected temporal lesion revealed a glioblastoma multiforme with tumoral infiltration of the vascular wall. Glioblastoma should be considered in the etiology of acute ischemic stroke, where neuroimaging plays an important diagnostic role, enabling a more immediate therapeutic approach, with a consequent impact on survival.

Reliability of CT perfusion in the evaluation of the ischaemic penumbra.

CT perfusion (CTP) is part of the initial evaluation of stroke patients, allowing differentiation between infarcted tissue and the ischaemic penumbra and helping in the selection of patients for endovascular treatment. This study assessed the reliability of the qualitative evaluation CTP maps in defining the ischemic penumbra and identified potential pitfalls associated with this technique. We reviewed CTP scans of 45 consecutive patients admitted to our institution with anterior circulation acute ischaemic stroke. Two neuroradiologists performed qualitative evaluations of cerebral blood volume (CBV) and mean transit time (MTT) maps, using 24h follow-up non-contrast CT as surrogate marker for the area of definitive infarct. For each slice analyzed, the area of qualitative alteration in the CBV and MTT maps was classified as either being inferior, equal or superior to the area of infarct on the follow-up CT. Three out of 45 (7%) patients had admission CT CBV abnormalities larger than follow-up lesions; 34/45 (76%) patients had infarct areas smaller than initial MTT prolongation. In the group of patients with no recanalization 12/19 (63%) had infarct areas smaller than initial MTT lesion. CBV abnormality is a reliable marker for an irreversible ischaemic lesion, although rarely it may overestimate the ischaemic "core", possibly due to delay in contrast arrival to the brain. In the majority of patients without recanalization, MTT overestimated final infarct areas, probably because it does not differentiate true "at risk" penumbra from benign oligaemia. Qualitative evaluation of CBV and MTT maps may overestimate the real ischaemic penumbra.

Volume changes of extremely large and giant intracranial aneurysms after treatment with flow diverter stents.

INTRODUCTION: This study assessed volume changes of unruptured large and giant aneurysms (greatest diameter >20 mm) after treatment with flow diverter (FD) stents. METHODS: Clinical audit of the cases treated in a single institution, over a 5-year period. Demographic and clinical data were retrospectively collected from the hospital records. Aneurysm volumes were measured by manual outlining at sequential slices using computerised tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance (MR) angiography data. RESULTS: The audit included eight patients (seven females) with eight aneurysms. Four aneurysms involved the cavernous segment of the internal carotid artery (ICA), three the supraclinoid ICA and one the basilar artery. Seven patients presented with signs and symptoms of mass effect and one with seizures. All but one aneurysm was treated with a single FD stent; six aneurysms were also coiled (either before or simultaneously with FD placement). Minimum follow-up time was 6 months (mean 20 months). At follow-up, three aneurysms decreased in size, three were unchanged and two increased. Both aneurysms that increased in size showed persistent endosaccular flow at follow-up MR; in one case, failure was attributed to suboptimal position of the stent; in the other case, it was attributed to persistence of a side branch originating from the aneurysm (similar to the endoleak phenomenon of aortic aneurysms). At follow-up, five aneurysms were completely occluded; none of these increased in volume. CONCLUSION: Complete occlusion of the aneurysms leads, in most cases, to its shrinkage. In cases of late aneurysm growth or regrowth, consideration should be given to possible endoleak as the cause.

[Arterial spin labelling: initial experience, clinical impact and difficulties]. / Arterial spin labeling: experiência inicial, indicações clínicas e dificuldades.

UNLABELLED: Arterial spin labelling (ASL) is a MR perfusion technique that uses protons from water molecules of the arterial blood as an endogenous tracer. It is fast, non-invasive and does not require gadolinium administration. Due to the increasing robustness of the results, it is becoming an important clinical tool.In this article we present our initial experience with ASL, highlighting some technical aspects, the main clinical applications, some achieved results and most important difficulties. METHODS: Review of the examinations performed during eight months, using a pulsating ASL technique in a 3T machine. Perfusion maps were evaluated qualitatively. RESULTS: The most frequent clinical applications were epilepsy, neurodegenerative disorders and tumours. Although perfusion data from ASL had never been crucial for diagnosis, it still provided substantial information. We highlight two epileptic patients who had had recent seizures, in which ASL depicted distinct post-ictal hyperperfusion areas (with the results being confirmed by SPECT studies).The impact was also remarkable in patients with neurodegenerative disorders in which ASL depicted hypoperfusion areas, typical of each nosological entity. The main difficulties were related to the lack of quantitative evaluation and to the clinical interpretation of the results obtained. CONCLUSION: ASL perfusion studies have a great potential in several clinical conditions. In this article we show that, with a fast acquisition and easy post-processing, it can integrate routine MRI examinations.

Red Wine, but not port wine, protects rat hippocampal dentate gyrus against ethanol-induced neuronal damage--relevance of the sugar content.

AIMS: Chronic ethanol consumption leads to oxidative damage in the central nervous system inducing neuronal degeneration and impairment of brain functions. Nevertheless, it has been reported that grape polyphenols might prevent the alluded ethanol effects. We have reported that prolonged red wine intake improves hippocampal formation oxidative status, a finding not replicated using Port wine. Thus, we thought of interest to compare the effects of chronic ingestion of these wines in the morphology of dentate gyrus (DG) neurons that are particularly vulnerable to alcohol effects. METHODS: Six-month-old Wistar rats were fed either with red wine or Port wine (both with 20% ethanol content, v/v), and the results were compared with 20% (v/v) ethanol-treated, ethanol/glucose and pair-fed control groups. After 6 months of treatment, the layer volumes of the DG and the total number of granule and hilar neurons were estimated. The dendritic trees of granule cells were also studied in Golgi-impregnated material. RESULTS: The number of granule cells and the DG layer volumes were similar among all groups. However, the number of hilar neurons was reduced in Port wine, ethanol-treated and ethanol/glucose animals. Furthermore, the granule cells from these groups showed a decrease in the total dendritic length. CONCLUSIONS: Although the Port wine and red wine have similar amounts of flavanols with identical ability to protect against oxidative stress, the differences observed are probably related to the very dissimilar processes of wine production, leading in Port wine to a high content of sugars, which are known to have potent pro-oxidant effects.