Secondary Stroke Prevention and Management for the Neuro-Ophthalmologist.

BACKGROUND: This article will serve as a comprehensive review of secondary prevention of ischemic stroke and central and branch retinal artery ischemia, which are closely linked pathologically and can be managed similarly to prevent further reoccurrence. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: We conducted a search in PubMed with a focus on reports involving secondary stroke prevention. RESULTS: This review discusses the etiologies of stroke and addresses the evidence for optimal therapies for secondary stroke prevention. We review recent clinical trials that will serve as an aid to the neuro-ophthalmologist in practice to determine the best next step in management and when to consider further referral to a stroke specialist. CONCLUSIONS: The optimal treatment to prevent stroke recurrence is determined by the etiology of stroke. After stroke workup, patients will typically be placed on proper medical therapy for the appropriate duration in addition to counseling on lifestyle modifications to reduce the risk of recurrent strokes. For complex patients, it is reasonable for providers to consider patient referral to stroke specialists for further aid in selection of appropriate medical therapy.

Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Beyond 90 days in Symptomatic Intracranial Stenosis in the SAMMPRIS Trial.

BACKGROUND: The safety and efficacy of dual antiplatelet use for symptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis beyond 90 days is unknown. Data from SAMMPRIS was used to determine if dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) beyond 90 days impacted the risk of ischemic stroke and hemorrhage. METHODS: This post hoc exploratory analysis from SAMMPRIS included patients who did not have a primary endpoint within 90 days after enrollment (n = 397). Patients in both the aggressive medical management (AMM) and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stenting (PTAS) arms were included. Baseline features and outcomes during follow-up were compared between patients who remained on DAPT beyond 90 days (on clopidogrel) and patients who discontinued clopidogrel and remained on aspirin alone at 90 days (off clopidogrel) using Fisher's exact tests. RESULTS: The stroke rate was numerically lower in the group on clopidogrel vs off clopidogrel among both the AMM alone arm (6.0% versus 10.8%, p = 0.31) and the PTAS arm (8.7% versus 9.8%; p = 0.82), but the difference was not significant. The major hemorrhage rates were numerically higher in the group on clopidogrel vs. off clopidogrel group among both the AMM alone arm (4.0% versus 2.5%; p = 0.67) and the PTAS arm (10.9% versus 3.5%; p = 0.08), but were not significant. CONCLUSION: This exploratory analysis suggests that prolonged DAPT use may lower the risk of stroke in medically treated patients with intracranial stenosis but may increase the risk of major hemorrhage.