Developmental Venous Anomalies.

Developmental venous anomalies (DVAs) are the most common vascular malformation detected on intracranial cross-sectional imaging. They are generally benign lesions thought to drain normal parenchyma. Spontaneous hemorrhages attributed to DVAs are rare and should be ascribed to associated cerebral cavernous malformations, flow-related shunts, or venous outflow obstruction. Contrast-enhanced MRI, susceptibility-weighted imaging, and high-field MRI are ideal tools for visualizing vessel connectivity and associated lesions. DVAs are not generally considered targets for treatment. Preservation of DVAs is an established practice in the microsurgical or radiosurgical treatment of associated lesions.

Traumatic Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis: Management and Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) with skull fractures parallel to or crossing venous sinuses is a recognized risk factor for traumatic cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (tCVST). Despite the recognition of this traumatic pathology in the literature, no consensus regarding management has been achieved. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of tCVST on TBI outcomes and related complications. METHOD: Patients within a prospective registry at a Level I trauma center from 2014 to 2023 were reviewed to identify tCVST cases. The impact of tCVST presence on Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) scores at 6-months, 30-day mortality, and hospital length of stay were evaluated in multivariable-adjusted analyses. RESULTS: Among 607 patients with TBI, 61 patients were identified with skull fractures extending to the vicinity of venous sinuses with dedicated venography. Twenty-eight of these 61 patients (44.3%) had tCVST. The majority (96.4%) of tCVST were located in the unilateral transverse or sigmoid sinus. Complete recanalization was observed in 28% of patients on follow-up imaging (7/25 with follow-up imaging). None of the 28 patients suffered attributable venous infarcts or thrombus propagation. In the adjusted analysis, there was no difference in the 30-day mortality or GOS at 6-months between patients with and without tCVST. CONCLUSION: Unilateral traumatic cerebral venous sinus thrombosis follows a benign clinical course without associated increased mortality or morbidity. The management of traumatic CVST should be distinct as compared to spontaneous CVST, likely without need for anticoagulation.

Assessment of the safety and efficacy of the Zoom 45 and 55 reperfusion catheters for medium and distal mechanical thrombectomies: A multi-institutional study.

INTRODUCTION: The Zoom aspiration catheters harbor novel dimensions and construction to enhance trackability and deliverability. In addition, a beveled tip may improve thrombus interaction and aspiration force for a set inner diameter. This study evaluates their utility in medium and distal vessel occlusions. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of Zoom 45 and 55 aspiration catheters in medium and distal vessel thrombectomy. METHODS: Patients treated for distal vessel occlusions via mechanical thrombectomy utilizing either the Zoom 45/55 catheter or a historical control catheter between 2021-2022 at two institutions were included in this study. Medium and distal occlusions were defined as any anterior or posterior cerebral artery branch as well as the M2-4 segment of the middle cerebral artery (MCA). Preprocedural, procedural, and postprocedural variables were obtained. RESULTS: Thirty-eight patients underwent thrombectomy with Zoom 45 or 55 catheters; four had multiple occluded vessels. Occlusion location included the M2 in 32 cases, M3-4 in 7 cases, A2 in 2 cases and P2 in 1 case. The mean number of passes per occlusion was 1.6 and overall successful reperfusion (TICI 2b or greater) was achieved in 84 % of cases. There were no symptomatic procedure-related complications such as perforation or post-procedural symptomatic ICH. Modified Rankin scores rates of 0-2, 3-5, and 6 at three months post-procedure were 35.7 %, 21.4 %, and 42.9 %, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The Zoom beveled tip aspiration catheters are safe and effective for more challenging medium and distal vessel occlusions.

Advances in biomarkers for vasospasm - Towards a future blood-based diagnostic test.

Objective: Cerebral vasospasm and the resultant delayed cerebral infarction is a significant source of mortality following aneurysmal SAH. Vasospasm is currently detected using invasive or expensive imaging at regular intervals in patients following SAH, thus posing a risk of complications following the procedure and financial burden on these patients. Currently, there is no blood-based test to detect vasospasm. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases were systematically searched to retrieve studies related to cerebral vasospasm, aneurysm rupture, and biomarkers. The study search dated from 1997 to 2022. Data from eligible studies was extracted and then summarized. Results: Out of the 632 citations screened, only 217 abstracts were selected for further review. Out of those, only 59 full text articles met eligibility and another 13 were excluded. Conclusions: We summarize the current literature on the mechanism of cerebral vasospasm and delayed cerebral ischemia, specifically studies relating to inflammation, and provide a rationale and commentary on a hypothetical future bloodbased test to detect vasospasm. Efforts should be focused on clinical-translational approaches to create such a test to improve treatment timing and prediction of vasospasm to reduce the incidence of delayed cerebral infarction.

The Influence of Coagulopathy on Radiographic and Clinical Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Middle Meningeal Artery Embolization as Standalone Treatment for Non-acute Subdural Hematomas.

Middle meningeal artery embolization (MMAE) is emerging as a safe and effective standalone intervention for non-acute subdural hematomas (NASHs); however, the risk of hematoma recurrence after MMAE in coagulopathic patients is unclear. To characterize the impact of coagulopathy on treatment outcomes, we analyzed a multi-institutional database of patients who underwent standalone MMAE as treatment for NASH. We classified 537 patients who underwent MMAE as a standalone intervention between 2019 and 2023 by coagulopathy status. Coagulopathy was defined as use of anticoagulation/antiplatelet agents or pre-operative thrombocytopenia (platelets <100,000/µL). Demographics, pre-procedural characteristics, in-hospital course, and patient outcomes were collected. Thrombocytopenia, aspirin use, antiplatelet agent use, and anticoagulant use were assessed using univariate and multivariate analyses to identify any characteristics associated with the need for rescue surgical intervention, mortality, adverse events, and modified Rankin Scale score at 90-day follow-up. Propensity score-matched cohorts by coagulopathy status with matching covariates adjusting for risk factors implicated in surgical recurrence were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses. Minimal differences in pre-operative characteristics between patients with and those without coagulopathy were observed. On unmatched and matched analyses, patients with coagulopathy had higher rates of requiring subsequent surgery than those without (unmatched: 9.9% vs. 4.3%; matched: 12.6% vs. 4.6%; both p < 0.05). On matched multivariable analysis, patients with coagulopathy had an increased odds ratio (OR) of requiring surgical rescue (OR 3.95; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.68-9.30; p < 0.01). Antiplatelet agent use (ticagrelor, prasugrel, or clopidogrel) was also predictive of surgical rescue (OR 4.38; 95% CI 1.51-12.72; p = 0.01), and patients with thrombocytopenia had significantly increased odds of in-hospital mortality (OR 5.16; 95% CI 2.38-11.20; p < 0.01). There were no differences in follow-up radiographic and other clinical outcomes in patients with and those without coagulopathy. Patients with coagulopathy undergoing standalone MMAE for treatment of NASH may have greater risk of requiring surgical rescue (particularly in patients using antiplatelet agents), and in-hospital mortality (in thrombocytopenic patients).

Intraoperative neuromonitoring as real-time diagnostic for cerebral ischemia in endovascular treatment of ruptured brain aneurysms.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) during endovascular treatment (EVT) of ruptured intracranial aneurysms (rIA). METHODS: IONM and clinical data from 323 patients who underwent EVT for rIA from 2014-2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Significant IONM changes and outcomes were evaluated based on visual review of data and clinical documentation. RESULTS: Of the 323 patients undergoing EVT, significant IONM changes were noted in 30 patients (9.29%) and 46 (14.24%) experienced postprocedural neurological deficits (PPND). 22 out of 30 (73.33%) patients who had significant IONM changes experienced PPND. Univariable analysis showed changes in somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) and electroencephalogram (EEG) were associated with PPND (p-values: <0.001 and <0.001, retrospectively). Multivariable analysis showed that IONM changes were significantly associated with PPND (Odd ratio (OR) 20.18 (95%CI:7.40-55.03, p-value: <0.001)). Simultaneous changes in both IONM modalities had specificity of 98.9% (95% CI: 97.1%-99.7%). While sensitivity when either modality had a change was 47.8% (95% CI: 33.9%-62.0%) to predict PPND. CONCLUSIONS: Significant IONM changes during EVT for rIA are associated with an increased risk of PPND. SIGNIFICANCE: IONM can be used confidently as a real time neurophysiological diagnostic guide for impending neurological deficits during EVT treatment of rIA.

The Development and Implementation of the Fast-Pace Assessment Framework and Tiered Analgesic Orders for Opioid Optimization.

BACKGROUND: Within the context of the opioid epidemic, changes needed to be made in the prescription and administration of analgesics. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and implementation of a project that utilized a holistic pain assessment framework and introduced new order sets to guide the integration of nonopioid, opioid, and co-analgesics in a quaternary care medical center. METHODS: An interdisciplinary team updated policies and procedures for pain assessment and opioid administration and created new analgesic order sets for both adult and pediatric patients. Following requisite approvals, these order sets were integrated into the electronic health record. Education of clinicians, patients, and caregivers was provided to facilitate implementation of these new clinical practices. RESULTS: Prescribers' levels of adherence with the use of the pain order sets ranged from 80% to 90% and no adverse effects were reported. Education of nursing staff was incorporated into hospital orientation. Ongoing evaluations are providing insights into how the new policies and procedures can be optimized to ensure reliable, safe, and effective pain management. CONCLUSIONS: Since the implementation of the opioid optimization project, adherence with the tiered, multimodal approach to analgesic prescribing is high. Next steps include both qualitative and quantitative evaluations of the benefits and challenges associated with this practice change. For example, systems will be developed to monitor nurses' adherence with the implementation of the pain order sets and the use of both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic pain management interventions.

DSG-GAN:A dual-stage-generator-based GAN for cross-modality synthesis from PET to CT.

PET/CT devices typically use CT images for PET attenuation correction, leading to additional radiation exposure. Alternatively, in a standalone PET imaging system, attenuation and scatter correction cannot be performed due to the absence of CT images. Therefore, it is necessary to explore methods for generating pseudo-CT images from PET images. However, traditional PET-to-CT synthesis models encounter conflicts in multi-objective optimization, leading to disparities between synthetic and real images in overall structure and texture. To address this issue, we propose a staged image generation model. Firstly, we construct a dual-stage generator, which synthesizes the overall structure and texture details of images by decomposing optimization objectives and employing multiple loss functions constraints. Additionally, in each generator, we employ improved deep perceptual skip connections, which utilize cross-layer information interaction and deep perceptual selection to effectively and selectively leverage multi-level deep information and avoid interference from redundant information. Finally, we construct a context-aware local discriminator, which integrates context information and extracts local features to generate fine local details of images and reasonably maintain the overall coherence of the images. Experimental results demonstrate that our approach outperforms other methods, with SSIM, PSNR, and FID metrics reaching 0.8993, 29.6108, and 29.7489, respectively, achieving the state-of-the-art. Furthermore, we conduct visual experiments on the synthesized pseudo-CT images in terms of image structure and texture. The results indicate that the pseudo-CT images synthesized in this study are more similar to real CT images, providing accurate structure information for clinical disease analysis and lesion localization.

On the Swelling of Polymer Network Strands.

Large scale computer simulations are employed to analyze the conformations of network strands in polymer networks at preparation conditions (characterized by a polymer volume fraction of ϕ0) and when swollen to equilibrium (characterized by a polymer volume fraction ϕ < ϕ0). Network strands in end-linked model networks are weakly stretched and partially swollen at preparation conditions as compared to linear polymers in the same solvent at ϕ0. Equilibrium swelling causes non-ideal chain conformations characterized by an effective scaling exponent approaching 7/10 on intermediate length scales for increasing overlap of the chains. The chain size in a network consists of a fluctuating and a time average "elastic" contribution. The elastic contribution swells essentially affinely ∝(ϕ0/ϕ)2/3, whereas the swelling of the fluctuating part lies between the expected swelling of the entanglement constraints and the swelling of non-cross-linked chains in a comparable semi-dilute solution. The total swelling of chain size results from the changes of both fluctuating and non-fluctuating contributions.

General Versus Nongeneral Anesthesia for Middle Meningeal Artery Embolization for Chronic Subdural Hematomas: Multicenter Propensity Score Matched Study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The choice of anesthesia type (general anesthesia [GA] vs nongeneral anesthesia [non-GA]) in middle meningeal artery embolization (MMAE) procedures for chronic subdural hematomas (cSDH) differs between institutions and left to care team discretion given lack of standard guidelines. We compare the outcomes of GA vs non-GA in MMAE. METHODS: Consecutive patients receiving MMAE for cSDH at 14 North American centers (2018-2023) were included. Clinical, cSDH characteristics, and technical/clinical outcomes were compared between the GA/non-GA groups. Using propensity score matching (PSM), patients were matched controlling for age, baseline modified Rankin Scale, concurrent/prior surgery, hematoma thickness/midline shift, and baseline antiplatelet/anticoagulation. The primary end points included surgical rescue and radiographic success rates (≥50% reduction in maximum hematoma thickness with minimum 2 weeks of imaging). Secondary end points included technical feasibility, procedural complications, and functional outcomes. RESULTS: Seven hundred seventy-eight patients (median age 73 years, 73.2% male patients) underwent 956 MMAE procedures, 667 (70.4%) were non-GA and 280 were GA (29.6%). After running 1:3 PSM algorithm, this resulted in 153 and 296 in the GA and non-GA groups, respectively. There were no baseline/procedural differences between the groups except radial access more significantly used in the non-GA group (P = .001). There was no difference between the groups in procedural technical feasibility, complications rate, length of stay, surgical rescue rates, or favorable functional outcome at the last follow-up. Subsequent 1:1 sensitivity PSM retained the same results. Bilateral MMAE procedures were more performed under non-GA group (75.8% vs 67.2%; P = .01); no differences were noted in clinical/radiographic outcomes between bilateral vs unilateral MMAE, except for longer procedure duration in the bilateral group (median 73 minutes [IQR 48.3-100] vs 54 minutes [39-75]; P < .0001). Another PSM analysis comparing GA vs non-GA in patients undergoing stand-alone MMAE retained similar associations. CONCLUSION: We found no significant differences in radiological improvement/clinical outcomes between GA and non-GA for MMAE.

Detunable wireless Litzcage coil for human head MRI at 1.5 T.

Inductively coupled radiofrequency (RF) coils are an inexpensive and simple method to realize wireless RF coils in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which can significantly ease the MRI scan setup and improve patient comfort because they do not require bulky components such as cables, baluns, preamplifiers, and connectors. However, volume-type wireless coils are typically operated in transmit/receive mode because detuning such coils is much more challenging due to their complex structure and multiple resonant modes. Meanwhile, adding too many detuning circuits to a wireless coil would decrease the coil's quality factor, impair the signal-to-noise ratio, and increase the cost. In this work, we proposed, constructed, and tested a novel wireless volume coil based on the Litzcage design for 1.5-T head imaging. Being an inductively coupled coil, it has a much simpler structure, resulting in a lighter weight and less bulky design. Despite its simpler structure, it exhibits comparable imaging performance with a commercial receive array, providing an alternative to conventional wired coils with a high cost and complex structure. The unique figure-of-8 conductor pattern within the rungs ensures that the proposed wireless Litzcage can be efficiently detuned with minimal detuning circuits.

Toward Optimized and Cost-Efficient Protocols for Inferior Petrosal Sinus Sampling in the Diagnosis of Cushing Disease.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Conventional protocols for inferior petrosal sinus sampling (IPSS) during the workup of hypercortisolemia require adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) measurement at multiple time points with corticotropic-releasing hormone (CRH) used as a stimulator. Modernized evidence-based protocols must also reflect the increased utilization of desmopressin (DDAVP) for ACTH stimulation as the manufacturing shortage of traditionally used CRH continues. We model the diagnostic accuracy and potential economic savings of DDAVP utilization and reduced time point sampling. METHODS: A single-institution, retrospective review of patients undergoing IPSS between 2007 and 2021 was performed. A computational search for the minimal set of time points which preserves conventional diagnostic accuracy was performed by testing all 1 through 5-point combinations generated using a binomial expansion. Economic savings were modeled using a publicly available hospital chargemaster. RESULTS: A total of 50 patients qualified for inclusion, 47 of whom were diagnosed with Cushing disease and 3 with ectopic Cushing syndrome. Single-point diagnostic accuracy for DDAVP-stimulated tests was 71.4%-92.9%, and seven 2-point combinations (5-25 procedural minutes) were found, which preserved conventional diagnostic accuracy. Single-point accuracy for CRH-stimulated tests was 67.9%-89.3%, and two 2-point combinations ( t = -15, t = +2 and t = -15, t = +10) preserved accuracy. For every time point removed, the cost of ACTH laboratory tests was reduced by $507 from $3042 for 6-point IPSS). The shortest and most economical stimulator and time point combination that preserved conventional accuracy was DDAVP sampling at t = 0 and t = +5 or t = +2 and t = +5 minutes, which cost $2028 total compared with the most expensive 6-point IPSS option with CRH ($6392). CONCLUSION: DDAVP is a cost-efficient and effective alternative to CRH during IPSS. Our results encourage prospective evaluation of potentially fewer sampling time points in the interest of time and cost efficiency balanced with preserved accuracy.

Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Outcomes in an Endovascular Right of First Refusal Neurosurgical Environment.

BACKGROUND: Randomized controlled trials demonstrate that endovascular techniques yield improved outcomes compared with microsurgical approaches. However, not all patients are suitable candidates for endovascular management. This study aimed to determine if healthy patients managed microsurgically could achieve functional outcomes comparable to patients managed endovascularly. METHODS: Patients treated for ruptured aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage at 2 level 1 stroke centers from January 2012 through December 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. All cases were evaluated in an endovascular right of first refusal neurosurgical environment. We collected relevant clinical and follow-up data and created a generalized linear model to identify differences between patients treated endovascularly versus microsurgically. A propensity score model accounting for these differences was used to predict patient outcomes. Functional outcomes were independently assessed using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) with good functional outcome defined as modified Rankin Scale score <3. RESULTS: The study included 588 patients (211 microsurgical, 377 endovascular); median age was 58 years (interquartile range: 40-86 years); in-hospital mortality was 13%. Age, aneurysm size, and aneurysm location significantly predicted treatment modality (all P < 0.05). After greedy-type matching (210 microsurgical, 210 endovascular), patients managed microsurgically were less likely to be discharged home (odds ratio = 0.6, 95% confidence interval 0.4-0.9, P = 0.01). Functional differences disappeared over time; patients in the 2 treatment arms had similar functional outcomes at 3 months (odds ratio = 1.1, 95% confidence interval 0.7-1.8, P = 0.66) and 1 year after subarachnoid hemorrhage (odds ratio = 1.3, 95% confidence interval 0.8-2.1, P = 0.38). CONCLUSIONS: In an endovascular right of first refusal neurosurgical environment, practitioners can treat patients who are not good endovascular candidates microsurgically and achieve functional outcomes comparable to patients managed endovascularly.

Bow Hunter Syndrome: An Illustrative Case and Operative Management.

The differential for vertebrobasilar insufficiency is wide and can be caused by posterior circulation infarcts, steal-type phenomena, or other systemic causes. In the absence of imaging findings explaining symptomology, the utility of appropriate history gathering and dynamic angiography cannot be understated in identifying Bow Hunter's syndrome, a rare cause of dynamic vertebrobasilar insufficiency. We present a case of a 69-year-old man who complained of presyncope and severe dizziness when turning his head towards the right. On examination he had no radiculopathy but did have objective evidence of myelopathy. Computed tomography imaging and dynamic angiography demonstrated C3-C4 right uncovertebral joint hypertrophy and near complete stenosis of the right vertebral artery with dynamic head position towards the right. Given vertebrobasilar insufficiency and myelopathy, he was taken to the operating room for C3-C4 anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with vertebral artery decompression (Video 1). The patient provided consent for the procedure. Standard anterior cervical neck dissection was undertaken with additional platysmal undermining to facilitate exposure of the right uncovertebral joint and transverse processes. The vertebral artery was first decompressed above and below the area of most significant stenosis at the respective transverse foramina before the hypertrophied uncovertebral joint was removed. Next, discectomy and posterior osteophyte removal were completed in typical fashion followed by graft, plate, and screw placement. Postoperatively the patient had immediate resolution of symptoms and continued so at eight month follow-up. Imaging demonstrated return to normal caliber of the right vertebral artery and successful decompression.

Flow Diverters with Surface Modification in Patients with Intracranial Aneurysms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Flow diverters with surface modification (FDSM) are increasingly being used in the treatment of intracranial aneurysms (ANs). We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety across different devices and antiplatelet therapies using a systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: A systematic review was performed to identify original studies of ≥10 patients with intracranial ANs treated with FDSM from database inception through August 2023. Primary effectiveness outcome was the rate of complete AN occlusion at follow-up ≥6 months. Safety outcomes included ischemic stroke, hemorrhage, and in-stent thrombosis, and were stratified by FDSM devices and antiplatelet therapies. Certainty of evidence was evaluated following the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations approach. RESULTS: Twenty-seven studies were included, yielding 2161 patients with 2373 ANs. A total of 70.5% of the ANs were located on the internal carotid artery (ICA). Total 10.3% were acutely ruptured. The complete AN occlusion rate was 72.3% at follow-up ≥6 months. Sensitivity analysis in the ICA AN cohort yielded comparable occlusion rates between Pipeline Flex Embolization Device-Shield (80.4%) and Phenox-hydrophilic polymer-coated (77.5%, P = 0.54), but a lower 66.2% rate for Flow Redirection Endoluminal Device-X (P = 0.02). The rate of in-stent thrombosis and stenosis tended to be higher in Phenox-hydrophilic polymer-coated (3.4%) and Flow Redirection Endoluminal Device-X (4.3%) versus Pipeline Flex Embolization Device-Shield (0.8%, P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: FDSM were safe with satisfactory effectiveness for intracranial ANs. More specific investigations are warranted to explore their performance in ANs beyond the ICA and optimal antiplatelet therapy.

Standalone middle meningeal artery embolization versus middle meningeal artery embolization with concurrent surgical evacuation for chronic subdural hematomas: a multicenter propensity score matched analysis of clinical and radiographic outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Middle meningeal artery embolization (MMAE) has emerged as a promising therapy for chronic subdural hematomas (cSDHs). The efficacy of standalone MMAE compared with MMAE with concurrent surgery is largely unknown. METHODS: cSDH patients who underwent successful MMAE from 14 high volume centers with at least 30 days of follow-up were included. Clinical and radiographic variables were recorded and used to perform propensity score matching (PSM) of patients treated with standalone MMAE or MMAE with concurrent surgery. Multivariable logistic regression models were used for additional covariate adjustments. The primary outcome was recurrence requiring surgical rescue, and the secondary outcome was radiographic failure defined as <50% reduction of cSDH thickness. RESULTS: 722 MMAE procedures in 588 cSDH patients were identified. After PSM, 230 MMAE procedures remained (115 in each group). Median age was 73 years, 22.6% of patients were receiving anticoagulation medication, and 47.9% had no preoperative functional disability. Median midline shift was 4 mm and cSDH thickness was 16 mm, representing modestly sized cSDHs. Standalone MMAE and MMAE with surgery resulted in similar rates of surgical rescue (7.8% vs 13.0%, respectively, P=0.28; adjusted OR (aOR 0.73 (95% CI 0.20 to 2.40), P=0.60) and radiographic failure (15.5% vs 13.7%, respectively, P=0.84; aOR 1.08 (95% CI 0.37 to 2.19), P=0.88) with a median follow-up duration of 105 days. These results were similar across subgroup analyses and follow-up durations. CONCLUSIONS: Standalone MMAE led to similar and durable clinical and radiographic outcomes as MMAE combined with surgery in select patients with moderately sized cSDHs and mild clinical disease.

Intracranial stenting versus aggressive medical therapy for symptomatic intracranial stenosis: A meta-analysis of multicenter randomized controlled trials and an expert assessment of the current data.

BACKGROUND: Intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS) is associated with high risk of recurrent strokes despite best medical management (MM). We aimed to synthesize the evidence from randomized studies comparing intracranial stenting plus MM versus MM alone. METHODS: Comprehensive search of MEDLINE database was performed until May 2023. The data were extracted and pooled as risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI). RESULTS: We included three multicenter RCTs totaling 919 patients. As compared to MM alone, intracranial stenting was associated with statistically significant higher risks of any stroke or death (RR = 2.93, 95%CI [1.80-4.78], p < 0.0001), stroke in the same territory of qualifying artery (RR = 3.56, 95%CI [1.97-6.44], p < 0.0001), any ischemic stroke (RR = 2.22, 95%CI [1.27-3.87], p = 0.005), hemorrhagic stroke (RR = 13.49, 95%CI [2.59-70.15], p = 0.0002), and death (RR = 5.43, 95%CI [1.21-24.40], p = 0.003) within 30 days of randomization. There was a persistent lack of benefit and signals of harm at the last follow up within 1-3 years: any stroke or death (RR = 1.57, 95%CI [0.92-2.67], p = 0.1), stroke in the same territory of qualifying artery (RR = 1.84, 95%CI [0.97-3.50], p = 0.06), any ischemic stroke (RR = 1.56, 95%CI [1.11-2.20], p = 0.01), death (RR = 1.61, 95%CI [0.77-3.38], p = 0.2). The cumulative rate of stroke in the same territory of qualified artery with MM alone within the 1-3-year follow up was lower than expected, with only 47 out of the 450 (10.4%) MM alone patients suffering such events. CONCLUSION: The findings from this meta-analysis do not recommend stenting as a routine care option for the broader symptomatic ICAS patient population. The rates of recurrent strokes in ICAS patients managed with aggressive MM do not seem to be as high as anticipated. Additional multicenter RCTs including safer devices, larger sample sizes, and patients at higher risk of recurrent events are warranted.

Crowdsourcing smartphone data for biomedical research: Ethical and legal questions.

The use of smartphones has greatly increased in the last decade and has revolutionized the way that health data are being collected and shared. Mobile applications leverage the ubiquity and technological sophistication of modern smartphones to record and process a variety of metrics relevant to human health, including behavioral measures, clinical data, and disease symptoms. Information processed by mobile applications may have significant utility for increasing biomedical knowledge, both through conventional research and emerging discovery paradigms such as citizen science. However, the ways in which smartphone-collected data may be used in nontraditional modes of biomedical discovery are not well understood, such as using data to train artificially intelligent algorithms and for product development purposes. This paper argues that the use of mobile health data for algorithm training and product development is (a) likely to become a prominent fixture in medicine, (b) likely to raise significant ethical and legal challenges, and (c) warrants immediate scrutiny by policymakers and scholars. We introduce the concept of "smartphone-crowdsourced medical data," or SCMD, and set out a broad research agenda for addressing concerns associated with this new and potentially momentous practice. We conclude that SCMD for algorithm training raises a number of ethical and legal issues which require further scholarly attention to ensure that individual interests are protected and that emerging health information sources can be used in ways that maximally, and safely, promote medical innovation.