Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
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Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a modern intravascular imaging modality that has the capability to provide detailed, in vivo characterization of the arterial wall and atherosclerotic plaque. The current understanding of the appearance of atherosclerotic plaque via OCT is largely based on coronary arterial studies where OCT information has been employed to guide therapeutic management and permits the immediate evaluation of percutaneous intervention. The clinical success of OCT in the coronary arteries has laid the foundation for investigation of the carotid artery and thus, stroke risk assessment. We report the novel use of OCT for tissue characterization of severe stenosis subsequent to carotid artery stenting (CAS), both before and after treatment with cutting balloon angioplasty.
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We sought to identify MRI factors associated with BBB changes at the acute stage of ischemic stroke. ⋯ BBB changes are exceptional during the first 3 hours after stroke onset. Delayed BBB alteration was associated with FLAIR positivity mainly reflecting vasogenic edema.
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Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) subjects show brain injury in sites that control autonomic, cognitive, and mood functions that are deficient in the condition. The processes contributing to injury may include altered blood-brain barrier (BBB) actions. Our aim was to examine BBB function, based on diffusion-weighted pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (DW-pCASL) procedures, in OSA compared to controls. ⋯ OSA subjects show compromised BBB function, but intact large artery integrity. The BBB alterations may introduce neural damage contributing to abnormal functions in OSA, and suggest a need to repair BBB function with strategies commonly used in other fields.
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We evaluated the relationship between middle cerebral artery (MCA) residual contrast stagnation on immediate postprocedural noncontrast CT scan and intraparenchymal hemorrhage (IPH) after endovascular treatment in acute ischemic stroke patients. ⋯ On immediate postprocedural noncontrast CT scan of stroke patients with acute MCA M1 occlusion after endovascular treatment, higher residual contrast stagnation in the affected MCA, compared to contralateral artery, is associated with an increased risk of IPH.