Early flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing after mechanical thrombectomy in stroke patients.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of the study were to (1) characterize the findings of flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) in stroke patients undergoing mechanical thrombectomy (MT); (2) analyse the screening performance of the Standardized Swallowing Assessment (SSA); and (3) study the impact of FEES-defined dysphagia on 3-month outcomes. METHODS: This single-centre study was based on a local registry of consecutive acute ischaemic stroke patients undergoing MT during a 1-year period. Patients received FEES within 5 days of admission regardless of the result of dysphagia screening. We compared baseline demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with and without FEES-defined dysphagia. We collected 3-month modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and individual index values of the European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions (EQ-5D-iv). Using univariable and multivariable regression analyses we predicted 3-month outcomes for presence of dysphagia and for FEES-defined dysphagia severity. RESULTS: We included 137 patients with a median age of 74 years, 43.1% were female, median NIHSS was 12 and successful recanalization was achieved in 92.7%. Stroke-associated pneumonia occurred in 8% of patients. FEES-defined dysphagia occurred in 81% of patients. Sensitivity of the SSA as a dysphagia screening was 67%. Presence of dysphagia and increasing severity of dysphagia were independently associated with increasing 3-month mRS score. Increasing dysphagia severity dysphagia was independently associated with lower EQ-5D-iv. INTERPRETATION: Early FEES-defined dysphagia occurs in four in every five patients undergoing MT. SSA has a suboptimal dysphagia screening performance. Presence of dysphagia and increasing dysphagia severity predict worse functional outcome and worse health-related quality-of-life.

Effect of Bridging Thrombolysis on the Efficacy of Stent Retriever Thrombectomy Techniques : Insights from the SWIFT-DIRECT trial.

BACKGROUND: There are little available data regarding the influence of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) on the efficacy of different first line endovascular treatment (EVT) techniques. METHODS: We used the dataset of the SWIFT-DIRECT trial which randomized 408 patients to IVT + EVT or EVT alone at 48 international sites. The protocol required the use of a stent retriever (SR), but concomitant use of a balloon guide catheter (BGC) and/or distal aspiration (DA) catheter was left to the discretion of the operators. Four first line techniques were applied in the study population: SR, SR + BGC, SR + DA, SR + DA + BGC. To assess whether the effect of allocation to IVT + EVT versus EVT alone was modified by the first line technique, interaction models were fitted for predefined outcomes. The primary outcome was first pass mTICI 2c­3 reperfusion (FPR). RESULTS: This study included 385 patients of whom 172 were treated with SR + DA, 121 with SR + DA + BGC, 57 with SR + BGC and 35 with SR. There was no evidence that the effect of IVT + EVT versus EVT alone would be modified by the choice of first line technique; however, allocation to IVT + EVT increased the odds of FPR by a factor of 1.68 (95% confidence interval, CI 1.11-2.54). CONCLUSION: This post hoc analysis does not suggest treatment effect heterogeneity of IVT + EVT vs EVT alone in different stent retriever techniques but provides evidence for increased FPR if bridging IVT is administered before stent retriever thrombectomy.

Factors associated with the laterality of Cardio-Embolic stroke.

OBJECTIVE: Understanding the lateralization factors, including the anatomic and hemodynamic mechanisms, is essential for diagnosing cardio-embolic stroke. This study aims to investigate the elements, for the first time together, that could affect the laterality of stroke. METHODS: We performed a monocentric retrospective case-control study based on prospective registries of acute ischemic stroke patients in the comprehensive stroke center of the RWTH University hospital of Aachen for three years (June 2018-June 2021). We enrolled 222 patients with cardioembolic stroke (136 left stroke and 86 right stroke) admitted for first-ever acute ischemic stroke with unilateral large vessel occlusion of the anterior circulation. The peak systolic velocity (PSV) asymmetry of middle cerebral artery (MCA) was assessed by doppler as well as internal carotid artery (ICA) angle, aortic arch (AA) branching pattern and anatomy were assessed by CT-Angiography. RESULTS: We found that the increasing left ICA angle (p = 0.047), presence of bovine type AA anatomy (p = 0.041) as well as slow PSV of the right MCA with a value of >15% than left (p = 0.005) were the predictors for left stroke lateralization, while the latter was an independent predictor for the left stroke (OR=3.341 [1.415-7.887]). Inter-Rater Reliability ranged from moderate to perfect agreement. CONCLUSION: The predictors for left stroke lateralization include the higher values of left ICA angle, presence of the bovine type AA and the slow right MCA PSV.

The relationship between neurogenic dysphagia, stroke-associated pneumonia and functional outcome in a cohort of ischemic stroke patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy.

INTRODUCTION: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is an established treatment approach in acute ischemic stroke patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO). Recent studies suggest that the prevalence of dysphagia and pneumonia risk is increased in this patient population. The aim of this study was to systematically evaluate the prevalence, predictors, and influence of neurogenic dysphagia for 3-month outcome in a large population of patients receiving MT and to elucidate the relationship between dysphagia, stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) and medium-term functional outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data of a prospective collected registry of patients with LVO and MT between 2016 and 2019 were analyzed retrospectively. Binary logistic regression was carried out to determine predictors for dysphagia and 3-month outcome as measured by the modified Rankin Scale, respectively. A mediation analysis was performed to investigate the mediating influence of intercurrent SAP. RESULTS: A total of 567 patients were included in the study. Mean age was 73.4 years, 47.8% of the patients were female, and median NIHSS was 15.0. The prevalence of dysphagia was 75.1% and 23.3% of all patients developed SAP. In the regression analysis, dysphagia was one of the main independent predictors for poor functional outcome at 3 months. The mediator analysis revealed that the effect of dysphagia on the functional outcome at 3 months was not mediated by the occurrence of SAP. DISCUSSION: The prevalence of dysphagia is high and exerts both negative short- and medium-term effects on patients with large vessel occlusion who undergo MT.

Endovascular Therapy in Acute Isolated Posterior Cerebral Artery Occlusion : Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Patients with isolated posterior cerebral artery occlusion (iPCAO) represent up to 6% of all acute ischemic stroke patients. Acute revascularization therapies for these patients were not tested in randomized controlled trials. The aim of this study was to evaluate outcomes of iPCAO patients who undergo endovascular treatment (EVT). METHODS: A systematic search of MEDLINE, Web of Science, CENTRAL, Scopus (inception-03/2022) was conducted for studies reporting 3­month outcome, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) and/or successful recanalization in iPCAO patients who underwent EVT. Random effect meta-analyses for pooled proportions were calculated. Double-arm meta-analyses for comparison of outcomes of iPCAO patients treated with EVT with age-, sex- and NIHSS-matched iPCAO patients treated with best medical treatment only were performed. RESULTS: Fifteen studies reporting a total of 461 iPCAO patients who underwent EVT were included. Excellent and favorable 3­month outcome proportions were 36% (95% confidence interval, CI 20-51%) and 57% (95% CI 40-73%), respectively. The 3­month mortality was 9% (95% CI 5-13), sICH occurred in 1% (95% CI 0-2%), successful recanalization was achieved in 79% (95% CI 71-86%). No significant differences in favorable and excellent 3­month outcomes, 3­month mortality and symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage were found between the groups of patients who underwent EVT and the group of patients who received best medical treatment only. CONCLUSION: These results support the feasibility and safety of EVT in iPCAO, but do not show an outcome benefit with EVT compared to best medical treatment. Randomized trials are needed to evaluate treatment benefit of EVT in these patients.

Point-of-Care Ultrasound to Detect Acute Large Vessel Occlusions in Stroke Patients: A Proof-of-Concept Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: A primary admission of patients with suspected acute ischemic stroke and large vessel occlusion (LVO) to centers capable of providing endovascular stroke therapy (EVT) may induce shorter time to treatment and better functional outcomes. One of the limitations in this strategy is the need for accurately identifying LVO patients in the prehospital setting. We aimed to study the feasibility and diagnostic performance of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) for the detection of LVO in patients with acute stroke. METHODS: We conducted a proof-of-concept study and selected 15 acute ischemic stroke patients with angiographically confirmed LVO and 15 patients without LVO. Duplex ultrasonography (DUS) of the common carotid arteries was performed, and flow profiles compatible with LVO were scored independently by one experienced and one junior neurologist. RESULTS: Among the 15 patients with LVO, 6 patients presented with an occlusion of the carotid-T and 9 patients presented with an M1 occlusion. Interobserver agreement between the junior and the experienced neurologist was excellent (kappa = 0.813, p < 0.001). Flow profiles of the CAA allowed the detection of LVO with a sensitivity of 73%, a positive predictive value of 92 and 100%, and a c-statistics of 0.83 (95%CI = 0.65-0.94) and 0.87 (95%CI = 0.69-0.94) (experienced neurologist and junior neurologist, respectively). In comparison with clinical stroke scales, DUS was associated with better trade-off between sensitivity and specificity. CONCLUSION: POCUS in acute stroke setting is feasible, it may serve as a complementary tool for the detection of LVO and is potentially applicable in the prehospital phase.

Meniscus Sign in Patients with Anterior Circulation Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke does not Predict Outcome.

PURPOSE: The angiographic appearance of the occlusion site was suggested to influence outcomes of stroke patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) who undergo endovascular treatment (EVT). We aimed to study the impact of the meniscus sign (MS) on outcomes of stroke patients with anterior circulation LVO. METHODS: Based on two prospective registries of acute ischemic stroke, we selected patients with carotid­T, M1 or M2 occlusion who underwent EVT. Clinical characteristics and outcomes were collected from the registries or from individual records. Two independent observers blinded to outcomes assessed the presence of MS in digital subtraction angiography before thrombectomy. Angiographic and clinical outcomes of patients with and without MS were compared. RESULTS: We included 903 patients, with median age of 78 years, 59.8% were male, median baseline NIHSS was 14 and 39.5% received intravenous thrombolysis. Patients with MS (n = 170, 18.8%) were more frequently female, presented with higher NIHSS scores and more frequently underwent intravenous thrombolysis. Presence of MS was significantly associated with cardioembolic etiology. Successful reperfusion, number of passes, first pass effect, procedural time, symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage, in-hospital mortality and favorable 3­month functional outcome were similar in the groups of patients with and without MS. In the multivariable analyses, MS was not associated with successful reperfusion (odds ratio, OR = 1.08, 95% confidence interval, CI = 0.76-1.55), first pass effect (OR = 0.96, 95%CI = 0.48-1.92) or favorable 3­month outcome (OR = 1.40, 95%CI = 0.88-2.24). CONCLUSION: The presence of MS in acute ischemic stroke patients with anterior circulation large vessel occlusion who undergo EVT does not appear to influence angiographic or clinical outcomes.

Time to treatment with bridging intravenous alteplase before endovascular treatment:subanalysis of the randomized controlled SWIFT-DIRECT trial.

BACKGROUND: We hypothesized that treatment delays might be an effect modifier regarding risks and benefits of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) before mechanical thrombectomy (MT). METHODS: We used the dataset of the SWIFT-DIRECT trial, which randomized 408 patients to IVT+MT or MT alone. Potential interactions between assignment to IVT+MT and expected time from onset-to-needle (OTN) as well as expected time from door-to-needle (DTN) were included in regression models. The primary outcome was functional independence (modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 0-2) at 3 months. Secondary outcomes included mRS shift, mortality, recanalization rates, and (symptomatic) intracranial hemorrhage at 24 hours. RESULTS: We included 408 patients (IVT+MT 207, MT 201, median age 72 years (IQR 64-81), 209 (51.2%) female). The expected median OTN and DTN were 142 min and 54 min in the IVT+MT group and 129 min and 51 min in the MT alone group. Overall, there was no significant interaction between OTN and bridging IVT assignment regarding either the functional (adjusted OR (aOR) 0.76, 95% CI 0.45 to 1.30) and safety outcomes or the recanalization rates. Analysis of in-hospital delays showed no significant interaction between DTN and bridging IVT assignment regarding the dichotomized functional outcome (aOR 0.48, 95% CI 0.14 to 1.62), but the shift and mortality analyses suggested a greater benefit of IVT when in-hospital delays were short. CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence that the effect of bridging IVT on functional independence is modified by overall or in-hospital treatment delays. Considering its low power, this subgroup analysis could have missed a clinically important effect, and exploratory analysis of secondary clinical outcomes indicated a potentially favorable effect of IVT with shorter in-hospital delays. Heterogeneity of the IVT effect size before MT should be further analyzed in individual patient meta-analysis of comparable trials. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: URL: https://www. CLINICALTRIALS: gov ; Unique identifier: NCT03192332.

Epicardial adipose tissue thickness assessed by CT is a marker of atrial fibrillation in stroke patients.

Epicardial adipose tissue is involved in the pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation (AF). This study aimed to analyze its relevance as a stroke etiology marker. A retrospective study of acute ischemic stroke patients with large vessel occlusion was conducted, periatrial epicardial adipose tissue thickness (pEATT) on admission computed tomography angiography was measured. One hundred and twenty-one patients with AF-related stroke and 94 patients with noncardioembolic stroke were included. Patients with AF-related stroke had increased pEATT. CT-measured left-sided pEATT was an independent predictor of AF-related stroke (adjusted odds ratio per 1 mm increase = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.05-1.53, p = 0.012). pEATT is an independent marker of AF-related stroke.

Erythropoietin Enhances Post-ischemic Migration and Phagocytosis and Alleviates the Activation of Inflammasomes in Human Microglial Cells.

Recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) has been shown to exert anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects after cerebral ischemia. Inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1ß and -18 (IL-1ß and IL-18) are crucial mediators of apoptosis and are maturated by multiprotein complexes termed inflammasomes. Microglia are the first responders to post-ischemic brain damage and are a main source of inflammasomes. However, the impact of rhEPO on microglial activation and the subsequent induction of inflammasomes after ischemia remains elusive. To address this, we subjected human microglial clone 3 (HMC-3) cells to various durations of oxygen-glucose-deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) to assess the impact of rhEPO on cell viability, metabolic activity, oxidative stress, phagocytosis, migration, as well as on the regulation and activation of the NLRP1, NLRP3, NLRC4, and AIM2 inflammasomes. Administration of rhEPO mitigated OGD/R-induced oxidative stress and cell death. Additionally, it enhanced metabolic activity, migration and phagocytosis of HMC-3. Moreover, rhEPO attenuated post-ischemic activation and regulation of the NLRP1, NLRP3, NLRC4, and AIM2 inflammasomes as well as their downstream effectors CASPASE1 and IL-1ß. Pharmacological inhibition of NLRP3 via MCC950 had no effect on the activation of CASPASE1 and maturation of IL-1ß after OGD/R, but increased protein levels of NLRP1, NLRC4, and AIM2, suggesting compensatory activities among inflammasomes. We provide evidence that EPO-conveyed anti-inflammatory actions might be mediated via the regulation of the inflammasomes.

Thrombectomy alone versus intravenous alteplase plus thrombectomy in patients with stroke: an open-label, blinded-outcome, randomised non-inferiority trial.

BACKGROUND: Whether thrombectomy alone is equally as effective as intravenous alteplase plus thrombectomy remains controversial. We aimed to determine whether thrombectomy alone would be non-inferior to intravenous alteplase plus thrombectomy in patients presenting with acute ischaemic stroke. METHODS: In this multicentre, randomised, open-label, blinded-outcome trial in Europe and Canada, we recruited patients with stroke due to large vessel occlusion confirmed with CT or magnetic resonance angiography admitted to endovascular centres. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) via a centralised web server using a deterministic minimisation method to receive stent-retriever thrombectomy alone or intravenous alteplase plus stent-retriever thrombectomy. In both groups, thrombectomy was initiated as fast as possible with any commercially available Solitaire stent-retriever revascularisation device (Medtronic, Irvine, CA, USA). In the combined treatment group, intravenous alteplase (0·9 mg/kg bodyweight, maximum dose 90 mg per patient) was administered as early as possible after randomisation for 60 min with 10% of the calculated dose given as an initial bolus. Personnel assessing the primary outcome were masked to group allocation; patients and treating physicians were not. The primary binary outcome was a score of 2 or less on the modified Rankin scale at 90 days. We assessed the non-inferiority of thrombectomy alone versus intravenous alteplase plus thrombectomy in all randomly assigned and consenting patients using the one-sided lower 95% confidence limit of the Mantel-Haenszel risk difference, with a prespecified non-inferiority margin of 12%. The main safety endpoint was symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage assessed in all randomly assigned and consenting participants. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03192332, and is closed to new participants. FINDINGS: Between Nov 29, 2017, and May 7, 2021, 5215 patients were screened and 423 were randomly assigned, of whom 408 (201 thrombectomy alone, 207 intravenous alteplase plus thrombectomy) were included in the primary efficacy analysis. A modified Rankin scale score of 0-2 at 90 days was reached by 114 (57%) of 201 patients assigned to thrombectomy alone and 135 (65%) of 207 patients assigned to intravenous alteplase plus thrombectomy (adjusted risk difference -7·3%, 95% CI -16·6 to 2·1, lower limit of one-sided 95% CI -15·1%, crossing the non-inferiority margin of -12%). Symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage occurred in five (2%) of 201 patients undergoing thrombectomy alone and seven (3%) of 202 patients receiving intravenous alteplase plus thrombectomy (risk difference -1·0%, 95% CI -4·8 to 2·7). Successful reperfusion was less common in patients assigned to thrombectomy alone (182 [91%] of 201 vs 199 [96%] of 207, risk difference -5·1%, 95% CI -10·2 to 0·0, p=0·047). INTERPRETATION: Thrombectomy alone was not shown to be non-inferior to intravenous alteplase plus thrombectomy and resulted in decreased reperfusion rates. These results do not support omitting intravenous alteplase before thrombectomy in eligible patients. FUNDING: Medtronic and University Hospital Bern.

Extending stroke CT angiography to the full chest allows for detection of additional pulmonary opacifications in acute stroke patients.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: During epidemics with an increased prevalence of pulmonary infections, extending stroke CTA examinations of acute stroke workup to the whole chest may allow for the identification of pulmonary findings that would have been missed on standard CTA examinations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our analysis comprised 216 patients with suspicion of stroke who received extended full-chest cerebrovascular CTA examinations from January 27th 2020 - date of the first confirmed Covid-19 case in Germany - until April 30th 2020. RESULTS: Consolidations and ground-glass opacifications were found in 73 of all 216 patients (34%). Opacifications were found in the upper chest in 51/216 patients (23%). There were lower-chest opacifications in 22 of 165 patients (13%) with unsuspicious upper-chest scans. In these 22 patients, there were consolidations in 10 cases (45%), ground-glass opacifications in 10 cases (45%), and both in 2 cases (10%). CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that extending the scan volume of an emergency stroke CTA to the whole chest reveals a considerable number of opacifications that would have been missed on a standard CTA. Even though these findings were rarely indicative of COVID-19, a large number of opacifications warranted further investigation.

Clinical Outcome and Prognostic Factors of Patients with Perimesencephalic and Nonperimesencephalic Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate the clinical outcome of patients with nonperimesencephalic subarachnoid hemorrhage (npSAH) compared with patients with aneurysmal SAH (aSAH) and perimesencephalic SAH (pSAH) and to evaluate predictive value of various clinical and radiological findings in patients with npSAH. METHODS: We retrospectively identified patients with SAH who presented at our institution between 2009 and 2018. We analyzed demographic and clinical data and outcomes. Multivariable analysis was performed for outcome parameters. RESULTS: Of 608 patients with confirmed SAH, 78% had aSAH, and 22% had nonaneurysmal SAH. Nonaneurysmal SAH was perimesencephalic in 30% of cases and nonperimesencephalic in 70%. Initial clinical status (Hunt and Hess score) was significantly worse in patients with aSAH compared with patients with nonaneurysmal SAH. Complications such as delayed cerebral ischemia occurred significantly more often in patients with aSAH. Patients with pSAH had a more favorable clinical course than patients with aSAH or npSAH. There was no significant difference in 30-day mortality between aSAH (29%) and npSAH (28%) patients (P = 0.835). Hunt and Hess score emerged as a strong predictor of unfavorable outcome in both aSAH and npSAH in multivariable regression. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with npSAH had a similar clinical outcome as patients with aSAH, although there were significantly fewer clinical complications in patients with npSAH. Patients with pSAH demonstrated an overall good clinical course. Our multivariable analysis showed that initial Hunt and Hess score was an important predictor for clinical outcome in aSAH as well as npSAH.

Imaging patterns of cerebral ischemia in hypereosinophilic syndrome: case report and systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Ischemic stroke is a potential complication of hypereosinophilic syndromes (HES), and little is known about underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. We aimed to describe the imaging patterns of cerebral ischemia in patients with HES. METHODS: An individual case is reported. A systematic PubMed review of all records reporting adult patients with HES who suffered ischemic stroke and for whom neuroimaging details of ischemic lesions were available was performed. RESULTS: A 60-year-old man presented with progressive subacute gait difficulty and psychomotor slowing as well as an absolute eosinophilia (2.2 × 109/L) at admission. Brain magnetic resonance tomography revealed multiple acute and subacute internal and external border zone infarcts. Cardiac diagnostic suggested the presence of endomyocarditis. After extensive diagnostic workup, idiopathic HES was diagnosed. The systematic review yielded 183 studies, of which 40 fulfilled the inclusion criteria: a total of 64 patients (31.3% female), with mean age 51.1 years and a median absolute eosinophile count at diagnosis of 10.2 × 109/L were included in the analyses. A border zone pattern of cerebral ischemic lesions was reported in 41 patients (64.1%). Isolated peripheral infarcts were reported in 7 patients (10.9%). Sixteen patients had multiple acute infarcts with no border zone distribution (25.0%). An intracardiac thrombus was reported in 15/60 patients (25%), and findings suggestive of endomyocarditis or endomyocardial fibrosis were found in 31/60 patients (51.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Border zone distribution of cerebral ischemia without hemodynamic compromise is the most frequent imaging pattern in patients with HES, occurring in 2/3 of patients who develop ischemic stroke.

Risk for Additional Infarction in Emergency Carotid Artery Endarterectomy in Thrombectomy Acute Stroke Patients.

Purpose: Thromboembolic occlusion of the middle cerebral artery with tandem occlusion of the internal carotid artery is a life-threatening condition with unfavorable neurological outcome. We perform emergency carotid endarterectomy in the same anesthesia session as thrombectomy in our angiography suite whenever needed despite the absence of electrophysiological neuromonitoring. Methods: We evaluated 47 thrombectomy patients with emergency CEA in our clinic between June 2013 and November 2020. To determine whether there were additional infarctions due to the surgical procedure, we assessed the initial diagnostic CT imaging for previously infarcted areas, cerebral perfusion, and vascular anatomy, including collateralization in the Circle of Willis (CoW). We then analyzed follow-up imaging with respect to new infarctions that could not be explained by the initial stroke. Results: 5 of 47 (11%) patients had a complete CoW. There was contralateral internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis or occlusion in 18/47 (38%) patients. Surgical procedure was eversion CEA in 34 (72%) and with a patch graft CEA in 13 (28%) cases. Shunts were used during surgery in 17/47 (36%) patients. Two patients suffered from an additional infarction in a new territory, however this was not caused by the surgical procedure but due to embolism during endovascular thrombectomy. In 1 of these 2 patients a hemodynamic border zone infarction was also observed, which could have developed during thrombectomy as well as during surgery, although this could not be attributed with absolute certainty to the surgery. The final infarction size was significantly larger in patients with contralateral ICA stenosis or occlusion (P = .038). Neither CoW anatomy nor the absence of a shunt during surgery could be identified as risk factors for additional infarction. Conclusion: Emergency surgery in the angiography suite without neuromonitoring was not associated with an increased additional stroke rate in our patient cohort.

Classification of patients with embolic stroke of undetermined source into cardioembolic and non-cardioembolic profile subgroups.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: It is currently thought that embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) has diverse underlying hidden etiologies, of which cardioembolism is one of the most important. The subgroup of patients with this etiology could theoretically benefit from oral anticoagulation, but it remains unclear if these patients can be correctly identified from other ESUS subgroups and which markers should be used. We aimed to determine whether a machine-learning (ML) model could discriminate between ESUS patients with cardioembolic and those with non-cardioembolic profiles using baseline demographic and laboratory variables. METHODS: Based on a prospective registry of consecutive ischemic stroke patients submitted to acute revascularization therapies, an ML model was trained using the age, sex and 11 selected baseline laboratory parameters of patients with known stroke etiology, with the aim of correctly identifying patients with cardioembolic and non-cardioembolic etiologies. The resulting model was used to classify ESUS patients into those with cardioembolic and those with non-cardioembolic profiles. RESULTS: The ML model was able to distinguish patients with known stroke etiology into cardioembolic or non-cardioembolic profile groups with excellent accuracy (area under the curve = 0.82). When applied to ESUS patients, the model classified 40.3% as having cardioembolic profiles. ESUS patients with cardioembolic profiles were older, more frequently female, more frequently had hypertension, less frequently were active smokers, had higher CHA2 DS2 -VASc (Congestive heart failure or left ventricular systolic dysfunction, Hypertension, Age ≥ 75 [doubled], Diabetes, Stroke/transient ischemic attack [doubled], Vascular disease, Age 65-74, and Sex category) scores, and had more premature atrial complexes per hour. CONCLUSIONS: An ML model based on baseline demographic and laboratory variables was able to classify ESUS patients into cardioembolic or non-cardioembolic profile groups and predicted that 40% of the ESUS patients had a cardioembolic profile.

Seeing the good in the bad: actual clinical outcome of thrombectomy stroke patients with formally unfavorable outcome.

PURPOSE: Clinical outcome of stroke patients is usually classified into favorable (modified Rankin scale (mRS) 0-2) and unfavorable (mRS 3-5) outcome according to the modified Rankin scale. We took a closer look at the clinical course of thrombectomy stroke patients with formal unfavorable outcome and assessed whether we could achieve our treatment goals and/or neurological improvement in these patients. METHODS: We studied 107 patients with occlusions in the terminal carotid artery or the M1 segment of the middle cerebral artery, in whom complete recanalization (eTICI 3) could be achieved, and who had an mRS of 3-5 at 90 days. We analyzed whether an individual treatment goal (i.e., preventing aphasia) and neurological improvement (NIHSS) could be achieved. In addition, we examined whether there was clinical improvement on the mRS. RESULTS: The treatment goal was achieved in 52% (53/103) and neurological improvement in 65% (67/103). mRS 90 days post-stroke was better than mRS upon admission in 36% (38/107) and better than or equal to mRS upon admission in 80% (86/107). Of the 93 patients with known pre-stroke mRS, 18% (17/93) already had an mRS ≥ 3, with 15 of these 17 patients having a worse mRS on admission than before. Of these 17 patients, 18% regained baseline, and 24% improved from admission. CONCLUSION: Dichotomizing the mRS into favorable and unfavorable outcome does not do justice to the full spectrum of stroke. Patients with formal unfavorable outcome after mRS can improve neurologically, achieve treatment goals, and even regain their admission or pre-stroke mRS.

Erythropoietin Abrogates Post-Ischemic Activation of the NLRP3, NLRC4, and AIM2 Inflammasomes in Microglia/Macrophages in a TAK1-Dependent Manner.

Inflammasomes are known to contribute to brain damage after acute ischemic stroke (AIS). TAK1 is predominantly expressed in microglial cells and can regulate the NLRP3 inflammasome, but its impact on other inflammasomes including NLRC4 and AIM2 after AIS remains elusive. EPO has been shown to reduce NLRP3 protein levels in different disease models. Whether EPO-mediated neuroprotection after AIS is conveyed via an EPO/TAK1/inflammasome axis in microglia remains to be clarified. Subjecting mice deficient for TAK1 in microglia/macrophages (Mi/MΦ) to AIS revealed a significant reduction in infarct sizes and neurological impairments compared to the corresponding controls. Post-ischemic increased activation of TAK1, NLRP3, NLRC4, and AIM2 inflammasomes including their associated downstream cascades were markedly reduced upon deletion of Mi/MΦ TAK1. EPO administration improved clinical outcomes and dampened stroke-induced activation of TAK1 and inflammasome cascades, which was not evident after the deletion of Mi/MΦ TAK1. Pharmacological inhibition of NLRP3 in microglial BV-2 cells did not influence post-OGD IL-1ß levels, but increased NLRC4 and AIM2 protein levels, suggesting compensatory activities among inflammasomes. Overall, we provide evidence that Mi/MΦ TAK1 regulates the expression and activation of the NLRP3, NLRC4, AIM2 inflammasomes. Furthermore, EPO mitigated stroke-induced activation of TAK1 and inflammasomes, indicating that EPO conveyed neuroprotection might be mediated via an EPO/TAK1/inflammasome axis.