Validation of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale-8 to Detect Large Vessel Occlusion in Ischemic Stroke.

BACKGROUND: Patients with acute ischemic stroke and large vessel occlusion (LVO) may benefit from prehospital identification and transfer to a center offering endovascular therapy. AIMS: We aimed to assess the accuracy of an existing 8-item stroke scale (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale-8 [NIHSS-8]) for identification of patients with acute stroke with LVO. METHODS: We retrospectively calculated NIHSS-8 scores in a population of consecutive patients with presumed acute stroke assessed by emergency medical services (EMS). LVO was identified on admission computed tomography angiography. Accuracy to identify LVO was calculated using receiver operating characteristics analysis. We used weighted Cohen's kappa statistics to assess inter-rater reliability for the NIHSS-8 score between the EMS and the hospital stroke team on a prospectively evaluated subgroup. RESULTS: Of the 551 included patients, 381 had a confirmed ischemic stroke and 136 patients had an LVO. NIHSS scores were significantly higher in patients with LVO (median 18; interquartile range 14-22). The NIHSS-8 score reliably predicted the presence of LVO (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve .82). The optimum NIHSS-8 cutoff of 8 or more had a sensitivity of .81, specificity of .75, and Youden index of .56 for prediction of LVO. The EMS and the stroke team reached substantial agreement (κ = .69). CONCLUSIONS: Accuracy of the NIHSS-8 to identify LVO in a population of patients with suspected acute stroke is comparable to existing prehospital stroke scales. The scale can be performed by EMS with reasonable reliability. Further validation in the field is needed to assess accuracy of the scale to identify patients with LVO eligible for endovascular treatment in a prehospital setting.

Perfusion computed tomography to assist decision making for stroke thrombolysis.

The use of perfusion imaging to guide selection of patients for stroke thrombolysis remains controversial because of lack of supportive phase three clinical trial evidence. We aimed to measure the outcomes for patients treated with intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) at a comprehensive stroke care facility where perfusion computed tomography was routinely used for thrombolysis eligibility decision assistance. Our overall hypothesis was that patients with 'target' mismatch on perfusion computed tomography would have improved outcomes with rtPA. This was a prospective cohort study of consecutive ischaemic stroke patients who fulfilled standard clinical/non-contrast computed tomography eligibility criteria for treatment with intravenous rtPA, but for whom perfusion computed tomography was used to guide the final treatment decision. The 'real-time' perfusion computed tomography assessments were qualitative; a large perfusion computed tomography ischaemic core, or lack of significant perfusion lesion-core mismatch were considered relative exclusion criteria for thrombolysis. Specific volumetric perfusion computed tomography criteria were not used for the treatment decision. The primary analysis compared 3-month modified Rankin Scale in treated versus untreated patients after 'off-line' (post-treatment) quantitative volumetric perfusion computed tomography eligibility assessment based on presence or absence of 'target' perfusion lesion-core mismatch (mismatch ratio >1.8 and volume >15 ml, core <70 ml). In a second analysis, we compared outcomes of the perfusion computed tomography-selected rtPA-treated patients to an Australian historical cohort of non-contrast computed tomography-selected rtPA-treated patients. Of 635 patients with acute ischaemic stroke eligible for rtPA by standard criteria, thrombolysis was given to 366 patients, with 269 excluded based on visual real-time perfusion computed tomography assessment. After off-line quantitative perfusion computed tomography classification: 253 treated patients and 83 untreated patients had 'target' mismatch, 56 treated and 31 untreated patients had a large ischaemic core, and 57 treated and 155 untreated patients had no target mismatch. In the primary analysis, only in the target mismatch subgroup did rtPA-treated patients have significantly better outcomes (odds ratio for 3-month, modified Rankin Scale 0-2 = 13.8, P < 0.001). With respect to the perfusion computed tomography selected rtPA-treated patients (n = 366) versus the clinical/non-contrast computed tomography selected rtPA-treated patients (n = 396), the perfusion computed tomography selected group had higher adjusted odds of excellent outcome (modified Rankin Scale 0-1 odds ratio 1.59, P = 0.009) and lower mortality (odds ratio 0.56, P = 0.021). Although based on observational data sets, our analyses provide support for the hypothesis that perfusion computed tomography improves the identification of patients likely to respond to thrombolysis, and also those in whom natural history may be difficult to modify with treatment.

Headache in a Patient with Complex Congenital Heart Disease: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Considerations.

Headache in adult patients with congenital heart disease may be a manifestation of the underlying cardiac condition or more common alternative causes of headache. In patients with pre-existing congenital heart disease, consideration of potentially uncommon aetiologies of headache is important. We report an uncommon case of headache in a patient with complex congenital heart disease characterised by Ebstein's anomaly with previous surgical repair complicated by idiopathic intracranial hypertension. This case illustrates the importance of understanding the implications of headache with reference to the underlying cardiac disease as well as specific issues related to a relatively young cohort of patients.

Endovascular thrombectomy for acute ischaemic stroke improves and maintains function in the very elderly: A multicentre propensity score matched analysis.

Introduction: The very elderly (⩾80 years) are under-represented in randomised endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) clinical trials for acute ischaemic stroke. Rates of independent outcome in this group are generally lower than the less-old patients but the comparisons may be biased by an imbalance of non-age related baseline characteristics, treatment related metrics and medical risk factors. Patients and methods: We compared outcomes between very elderly (⩾80) and the less-old (<80 years) using retrospective data from consecutive patients receiving EVT from four comprehensive stroke centres in New Zealand and Australia. We used propensity score matching or multivariable logistic regression to account for confounders. Results: We included 600 patients (300 in each age cohort) after propensity score matching from an initial group of 1270 patients. The median baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale was 16 (11-21), with 455 (75.8%) having symptom free pre-stroke independent function, and 268 (44.7%) receiving intravenous thrombolysis. Good functional outcome (90-day modified Rankin Scale 0-2) was achieved in 282 (46.8%), with very elderly patients having less proportion of good outcome compared to the less-old (118 (39.3%) vs 163 (54.3%), p < 0.01). There was no difference between the very elderly and the less-old in the proportion of patients who returned to baseline function at 90 days (56 (18.7%) vs 62 (20.7%), p = 0.54). All-cause 90-day mortality was higher in the very elderly (75 (25%) vs 49 (16.3%), p < 0.01), without a difference in symptomatic haemorrhage (very elderly 11 (3.7%) vs 6 (2.0%), p = 0.33). In the multivariable logistic regression models, the very elderly were significantly associated with reduced odds of good 90-day outcome (OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.34-0.69, p < 0.01) but not with return to baseline function (OR 0.85, 90% CI 0.54-1.29, p = 0.45) after adjusting for confounders. Conclusion: Endovascular thrombectomy can be successfully and safely performed in the very elderly. Despite an increase in all-cause 90-day mortality, selected very elderly patients are as likely as younger patients with similar baseline characteristics to return to baseline function following EVT.

Implementation of multimodal computed tomography in a telestroke network: Five-year experience.

AIMS: Penumbral selection is best-evidence practice for thrombectomy in the 6-24 hour window. Moreover, it helps to identify the best responders to thrombolysis. Multimodal computed tomography (mCT) at the primary centre-including noncontrast CT, CT perfusion, and CT angiography-may enhance reperfusion therapy decision-making. We developed a network with five spoke primary stroke sites and assessed safety, feasibility, and influence of mCT in rural hospitals on decision-making for thrombolysis. METHODS: Consecutive patients assessed via telemedicine from April 2013 to June 2018. Clinical outcomes were measured, and decision-making compared using theoretical models for reperfusion therapy applied without mCT guidance. Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) was assessed according to Safe Implementation of Treatments in Stroke Thrombolysis Registry criteria. RESULTS: A total of 334 patients were assessed, 240 received mCT, 58 were thrombolysed (24.2%). The mean age of thrombolysed patients was 70 years, median baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale was 10 (IQR 7-18) and 23 (39.7%) had a large vessel occlusion. 1.7% had sICH and 3.5% parenchymal hematoma. Three months poststroke, 55% were independent, compared with 70% in the non-thrombolysed group. CONCLUSION: Implementation of CTP in rural centers was feasible and led to high thrombolysis rates with low rates of sICH.

Intracranial haemorrhages associated with venom induced consumption coagulopathy in Australian snakebites (ASP-21).

Intracranial haemorrhage (ICH) is a rare life-threatening consequence of venom induced consumption coagulopathy in snake-bite. It is unclear why certain patients haemorrhage. We aimed to investigate ICH in snake envenoming. Cases of venom-induced consumption coagulopathy from July 2005-June 2014 were identified from the Australian Snakebite Project, a prospective multicentre cohort of snake-bites. Cases with venom-induced consumption coagulopathy were extracted with data on the snake-bite, clinical effects, laboratory investigations, treatment and outcomes. 552 cases had venom-induced consumption coagulopathy; median age, 40 y (2-87 y), 417 (76%) males, 253 (46%) from brown snakes and 17 died (3%). There were 6/552 (1%) cases of ICH; median age, 71 y (59-80 y), three males and five from brown snakes. All received antivenom and five died. All six had a history of hypertension. Time to onset of clinical effects consistent with ICH was 8-12 h in four cases, and within 3 h in two. Difficult to manage hypertension and vomiting were common. One patient had a normal cerebral CT on presentation and after the onset of focal neurological effects a repeat CT showed an ICH. ICH is rare in snake-bite with only 1% of patients with coagulopathy developing one. Older age and hypertension were associated with ICH.