Cerebrovascular diseases
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Cerebrovascular diseases · Jan 2013
Low glomerular filtration rate increases hemorrhagic transformation in acute ischemic stroke.
Decreased glomerular filtration rate (GFR) can increase the risk of bleeding tendency and hemorrhagic stroke. However, the relationship between the levels of GFR and hemorrhagic transformation (HT) after acute ischemic stroke is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to assess whether GFR level is associated with HT in acute ischemic stroke. ⋯ Low levels of GFR are associated with a high risk of HT after acute ischemic stroke. Further studies are needed to elucidate whether HT in the patients with renal insufficiency are related to a worse outcome after acute ischemic stroke.
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Cerebrovascular diseases · Jan 2013
Case ReportsValidity of dual MRI and F-FDG PET imaging in predicting vulnerable and inflamed carotid plaque.
Vulnerable and inflamed plaques in the carotid artery are at high risk of ischemic stroke, suggesting the importance of diagnostic modalities to detect them in patients with carotid stenosis with high sensitivity and specificity. Although many investigators have reported that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a useful tool to predict the vulnerable components of carotid plaque, its validity is not established. On the other hand, (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) may be an alternative modality to directly identify the inflamed plaque in carotid artery stenosis. Therefore, this study aimed at evaluating the validity of MRI and FDG-PET to predict vulnerable and inflamed carotid plaque. ⋯ These findings suggest that FDG-PET and MRI are complementary to predict high-risk carotid plaque, such as lipid-rich or hemorrhagic plaque. FDG-PET can accurately predict the lipid-rich and inflamed plaque. MRI is valuable to identify unstable plaque with a large intraplaque hemorrhage. The combination of these two modalities may play an important role in predicting carotid plaque at high risk of ischemic stroke.
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Cerebrovascular diseases · Jan 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialLong-term treatment with citicoline may improve poststroke vascular cognitive impairment.
Cognitive decline after stroke is more common than stroke recurrence. Stroke doubles the risk of dementia and is a major contributor to vascular cognitive impairment and vascular dementia. Nonetheless, few pharmacological studies have addressed vascular cognitive impairment after stroke. We assessed the safety of long-term administration and its possible efficacy of citicoline in preventing poststroke cognitive decline in patients with first-ever ischemic stroke. ⋯ Citicoline treatment for 12 months in patients with first-ever ischemic stroke is safe and probably effective in improving poststroke cognitive decline. Citicoline appears to be a promising agent to improve recovery after stroke. Large clinical trials are needed to confirm the net benefit of this therapeutic approach.
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Cerebrovascular diseases · Jan 2013
Comparative Study Observational StudyMagnetic resonance imaging-based versus computed tomography-based thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke: comparison of safety and efficacy within a cohort study.
In acute ischemic stroke, brain imaging is mandatory in the decision whether to perform intravenous thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator. The most widespread used imaging modality to exclude intracranial hemorrhage is plain computed tomography (CT). However, there is an ongoing debate whether the information provided by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could improve the selection of patients for thrombolysis. We investigated whether the choice of imaging modality (MRI vs. CT) affects therapy safety and the patients' outcome. ⋯ Thrombolysis based on multimodal MRI is associated with reduced rates of SICH and early death. Our results suggest that these complications affect survival principally in the acute phase after thrombolysis. However, nonneurological and especially cardiac comorbidities also influence survival after stroke and are underrepresented in stroke patients undergoing MRI. Selection bias has to be considered.
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Cerebrovascular diseases · Jan 2013
Comparative StudyMaintenance hemodialysis independently increases the risk of early death after acute intracerebral hemorrhage.
It is unknown whether the clinical features and outcomes of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients who undergo maintenance hemodialysis (HD) at the time of ICH are similar to those of general ICH patients. ⋯ Maintenance HD is independently associated with early death in ICH patients.