Relationship between thrombus composition and prognosis in patients with acute ischemic stroke undergoing mechanical thrombectomy.

BACKGROUND: Mechanical thrombectomy has emerged as the primary endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke. Numerous studies have investigated the relationship between thrombus composition and factors such as pharmacological thrombolysis, stroke etiology, mechanical thrombectomy, and radiological imaging. However, limited research has explored the association between thrombus composition and clinical outcomes. METHODS: This retrospective analysis examined the histopathological examination of thrombi retrieved from 50 patients with acute ischemic stroke between May 2020 and May 2023. The composition of the retrieved thrombi was assessed using HE staining to quantify the proportions of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and fibrin. Based on the predominant composition of the thrombus, the patients were divided into two groups: erythrocyte-rich and fibrin-rich. Demographics, clinical characteristics, and clinical outcomes assessed by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores were collected retrospectively. RESULT: Of the 50 patients, 23 were classified in the erythrocyte-rich group, and 27 were classified in the fibrin-rich group. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of age, sex, stroke subtype, history of hypertension and diabetes, thrombus location, NIHSS scores, mRS scores on admission, the time interval from symptom onset to hospitalization and reperfusion, or the rate of successful reperfusion. However, erythrocyte-rich thrombi were associated with a shorter time interval from puncture to reperfusion. No significant differences were found in the red blood cell fraction and fibrin/platelet fraction between large artery atherosclerosis and cardioembolism. At the 90-day follow-up, patients with erythrocyte-rich thrombi exhibited lower NIHSS scores and more favorable functional outcomes (mRS scores of 0-2) compared to those with fibrin-rich thrombi. CONCLUSION: Erythrocyte-rich thrombi were linked to shorter time intervals from puncture to reperfusion and favorable clinical outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke. The composition of the thrombus may influence the thrombectomy strategy for endovascular therapy.

Influence Factors and Predictive Models for the Outcome of Patients with Ischemic Stroke after Intravenous Thrombolysis: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective: Intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) is currently the main effective treatment for patients with ischemic stroke. This study aimed to analyze the factors affecting the early neurological recovery and prognosis of thrombolytic therapy after surgery and to construct predictive models. Materials and Methods: A total of 849 patients with ischemic stroke who received IVT treatment at six centers from June 2017 to March 2021 were included. Patients were divided into the training cohort and the validation cohort. Based on the independent factors that influence the early recovery of neurological function and the prognosis, the respective predictive nomograms were established. The predictive accuracy and discrimination ability of the nomograms were evaluated by ROC and calibration curve, while the decision curve and clinical impact curve were adopted to evaluate the clinical applicability of the nomograms. Results: The nomogram constructed based on the factors affecting the prognosis in 3 months had ideal accuracy as the AUC (95% CI) was 0.901 (0.874~0.927) in the training cohort and 0.877 (0.826~0.929) in the validation cohort. The accuracy of the nomogram is required to be improved, since the AUC (95% CI) of the training cohort and the validation cohort was 0.641 (0.597~0.685) and 0.627 (0.559~0.696), respectively. Conclusions: Based on this ideal and practical prediction model, we can early identify and actively intervene in patients with ischemic stroke after IVT to improve their prognosis. Nevertheless, the accuracy of predicting nomograms for the recovery of early neurological function after IVT still needs improvement.

Stroke Risk Factors in United States: An Analysis of the 2013-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

PURPOSE: This research intended to identify significant risk factors of stroke among the elderly population in the United States using the k-means clustering method. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed data of 4346 subjects aged ≥60 years using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013-2018 datasets. Questionnaire data, dietary data, and laboratory data were accessed to acquire measurements of the potential risk factors. A pre-defined classification method was used based on the Medical Condition Questionnaire to define the stroke group. K-means clustering analysis used all potential risk factors for differentiating both groups. A stepwise logistic regression analysis examined the association between significant risk factors and the odds of stroke. RESULTS: Age (OR:1.053, 95% CI:1.029-1.077), diabetes (OR: 28.019, 95% CI: 19.139-41.020), glycohemoglobin (OR: 2.309, 95% CI: 1.818-2.934), plasma fasting glucose (OR: 1.017, 95% CI: 1.010-1.024), hypertension (OR: 2.343, 95% CI: 1.602-3.426), dietary fiber consumption (OR:0.980, 95% CI:0.964-0.995), and education level (OR:0.541, 95% CI: 0.411-0.713) were identified as significant risk factor for stroke among the elderly population in the k-means clustering method. In the pre-defined grouping method, age (OR:1.093, 95% CI:1.054-1.132), diabetes (OR:2.228, 95% CI: 1.432-3.466), hypertension (OR:2.295, 95% CI:1.338-3.938), and dietary fiber consumption (OR: 0.966, 95CI%:0.947-0.985) were found to influence to the risk of stroke. CONCLUSION: Age, hypertension, dietary fiber consumption, and education level are the significant risk factors of stroke among elders aged >60 years. Among all the risk factors, diabetes is the strongest predictor of stroke. Glycohemoglobin and plasma fasting glucose are also associated with stroke risks, implying that glycemic control is particularly crucial in stroke prevention and management among older adults.