Cerebrovascular diseases
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Cerebrovascular diseases · Jan 2012
Association of hyponatremia in acute stroke stage with three-year mortality in patients with first-ever ischemic stroke.
Hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte disorder in hospitalized patients, and is frequently a marker of a significant underlying disease. The prognostic value of hyponatremia in patients with acute first-ever ischemic stroke is not known. We aimed to analyze whether hyponatremia in the acute stroke stage contributed to the risk of mortality or recurrent stroke in these patients. ⋯ Hyponatremia in the acute stroke stage is a predictor of 3-year mortality in patients with acute first-ever ischemic stroke that is independent of other clinical predictors of adverse outcome.
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Cerebrovascular diseases · Jan 2012
Oral anticoagulants--a frequent challenge for the emergency management of acute ischemic stroke.
The emergency management of patients with acute ischemic stroke (IS) using oral anticoagulants (OAC) represents a great challenge. Effective anticoagulation predisposes to bleeding and represents a contraindication for systemic thrombolysis. However, patients on OAC can receive intravenous thrombolysis with recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator if the international normalized ratio (INR) does not exceed 1.7, but data regarding the risk of hemorrhagic complications are highly controversial. Neurointerventional recanalization of intracranial artery occlusion represents an alternative option in OAC patients with acute IS. The proportion of OAC users among consecutive patients who suffer from acute IS or transient ichemic attacks (TIA) is unknown. ⋯ Oral anticoagulation represents a frequent challenge for the emergency manangement of IS. A considerable proportion of anticoagulated IS patients appears to be eligible for thrombolysis. Establishing standardized treatment procedures in these patients is warranted.
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Cerebrovascular diseases · Jan 2012
Plaque characteristics of asymptomatic carotid stenosis and risk of stroke.
The optimal treatment of asymptomatic carotid stenosis (ACS) is controversial. To optimize the risk-benefit ratio of carotid artery revascularization, it is crucial to identify ACS patients who are at increased stroke risk. Recent data suggest that plaque vulnerability depends on its composition. Therefore, we assessed plaque composition in ACS to determine predictors for ipsilateral cerebrovascular events. ⋯ In addition to medical history and sonographic findings, a lipid-rich necrotic core within the plaque turned out as a predictor of cerebrovascular events. Therefore, MR imaging of carotid plaques deserves further attention and might be helpful to improve risk stratification of asymptomatic carotid disease. The identified predictors could be combined in a risk model and tested in larger prospective studies.
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Cerebrovascular diseases · Jan 2012
Clinical features, surgical treatment and long-term outcome in adult patients with Moyamoya disease in China.
Moyamoya disease (MMD) develops mostly in Asian countries including Japan, Korea, mainland China and Taiwan. However, there are few detailed demographic and clinical data about Chinese patients with MMD. Currently, the most effective treatment in adult patients with MMD is unknown. There have only been a few small case series reporting on encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis (EDAS) in an adult population. Here we describe the clinical features, surgical treatment and long-term outcome of adults with MMD treated at a single institution in China. ⋯ Clinical characteristics of adult MMD in China are different from those in other Asian countries. EDAS in adult patients with MMD carries a low risk, is effective at preventing future ischemic events and improves quality of life.
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Cerebrovascular diseases · Jan 2012
NIHSS scores in ischemic small vessel disease: a study in CADASIL.
The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) is widely used to measure neurological deficits, evaluate the effectiveness of treatment and predict outcome in acute ischemic stroke. It has also been used to measure the residual neurological deficit at the chronic stage after ischemic events. However, the value of NIHSS in ischemic cerebral small vessel disease has not been specifically evaluated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the link between the NIHSS score and clinical severity in a large population of subjects with CADASIL (cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy), a unique model to investigate the pathophysiology and natural history of ischemic small vessel disease. ⋯ The present results suggest that the NIHSS cannot reflect the extent of neurological deficit and clinical severity in subjects with lacunar infarctions in the context of a chronic and diffuse small vessel disease. A specific and global neurological scale, including the assessment of cognitive and gait performances, should be developed for ischemic cerebral microangiopathy.