Journal of stroke and cerebrovascular diseases : the official journal of National Stroke Association
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J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis · Oct 2013
Residual shunt after patent foramen ovale closure: preliminary results from Italian patent foramen ovale survey.
Percutaneous patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure is accepted as treatment for cryptogenic ischemic stroke/transient ischemic attack in young subjects. However, a thorough evaluation of residual right-to-left shunt (rRLS) after PFO closure is needed. Our aims were to analyze the characteristics related to PFO diagnosis and closure, focusing on rRLS and clinical recurrences until 24-month follow-up. Data were extrapolated from the 12-month Italian PFO Survey. ⋯ PFO closure is a safe procedure. rRLS is not uncommon but large rRLS is rare. Clinical complications, mostly related to cardiac arrhythmias, are not unusual. Evaluation of the data of the whole survey is underway.
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J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis · Oct 2013
Selection of carotid artery stenting or endarterectomy based on magnetic resonance plaque imaging reduced periprocedural adverse events.
The aim of this study was to elucidate the impact of treatment selection, either carotid stenting or endarterectomy, based on preoperative magnetic resonance (MR) plaque imaging on periprocedural events. ⋯ Treatment selection based on preoperative plaque imaging appears useful for reducing periprocedural events of carotid artery revascularizations.
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J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis · Oct 2013
Hippocampal magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities in cardiac arrest are associated with poor outcome.
The role of neuroimaging in assessing prognosis in comatose cardiac survivors appears promising, but little is known regarding the import of particular spatial patterns. We report a specific spatial imaging abnormality on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that portends a poor prognosis: bilateral hippocampal hyperintensities on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequences. ⋯ Bilateral hippocampal hyperintensities on MRI may be a specific imaging finding that is indicative of poor prognosis in patients who suffer global hypoxic-ischemic injury. More research on the prognostic significance of this and similar neuroimaging patterns is indicated.
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J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis · Oct 2013
Seasonal variation and trends in stroke hospitalizations and mortality in a South American community hospital.
Numerous studies have reported the presence of temporal variations in biological processes. Seasonal variation (SV) in stroke has been widely studied, but little data have been published on this phenomenon in the Southern Hemisphere, and there have been no studies reported from Argentina. The goals of the present study were to describe the SV of admissions and deaths for stroke and examine trends in stroke morbidity and mortality over a 3-year period in a community hospital in Argentina. ⋯ Stroke admissions followed a seasonal pattern, with a winter-spring predominance (P = .008). Our data indicate a clear SV in stroke deaths and admissions in this region of Argentina. The existence of SV in stroke raises a different hypothesis about the rationale of HF admissions and provides information for the organization of care and resource allocation.
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The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship of the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) with short-term mortality in acute stroke. ⋯ The NLR at the time of hospital admission may be a predictor of short-term mortality in acute stroke patients. Because of the routine use and inexpensive nature of hemogram analysis, the NLR should be investigated in future prospective, randomized controlled trials investigating acute stroke.