Severe Cerebral Artery Stenosis Research Articles

Verifynow P2Y12 PRU-Guided Modification of Clopidogrel for Prevention of Recurrent Ischemic Stroke: A Real-World Prospective Cohort Study.

Clopidogrel resistance causes recurrent stroke. However, outcomes of modified antiplatelet medications to prevent recurrent ischemic stroke are not well known. Patients who received clopidogrel with and without modification as initial treatment for stroke were recruited and compared. The primary outcome was ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction at the 1-year follow-up. The secondary outcome was bleeding complications. Overall, 206 patients treated with clopidogrel were enrolled and were divided into the modification (n = 39) and no modification (n = 167) groups. There was a significant difference in the incidence of severe cerebral arterial stenosis between the two groups (modification group, 16/39, 41.03%; no modification group, 36/167, 21.56%, P = 0.012) at baseline. The loss to follow-up rate was 12.14% (25/206). After adjustment for severe cerebral artery stenosis, antiplatelet modification based on the platelet reactivity unit (PRU) value significantly improved in the per protocol set (odds ratio 0.142, 95% confidential interval 0.022-0.898, P = 0.038). The area under the curve of the different PRU cutoff values were 0.630, 0.605, and 0.591 (P = 0.016, 0.051, and 0.092) for PRU 190, 208, and 235, respectively. Verifynow P2Y12 PRU-guided modification of clopidogrel for ischemic stroke significantly improved or prevented recurrence at the 1-year follow-up. Our findings suggest that clopidogrel therapy based on the PRU cutoff value of 190 should be considered to improve outcomes. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02618265 (December 1, 2015).

Clinical Utility of the Serum Level of Lipoprotein-Related Phospholipase A2 in Acute Ischemic Stroke With Cerebral Artery Stenosis.

We aimed to study the clinical utility of serum lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) with cerebral artery stenosis (CAS). We included 200 AIS patients and 90 healthy controls in this study. AIS patients were classified into three subgroups depending on the severity of CAS. They were also classified based on the stability of the carotid plaques. Spearman correlation analysis was performed to determine the correlation relationship between the level of Lp-PLA2 and neurologic injury. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the independent risk factors for AIS. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to assess the diagnostic value of Lp-PLA2 for AIS and for the degree of CAS. We found that the serum level of Lp-PLA2 in AIS patients was significantly higher than that in the control group. Lp-PLA2 was further identified as an independent risk factor for AIS (p = 0.001, OR = 1.057). In addition, serum Lp-PLA2 level was the highest in AIS patients with severe CAS or occlusion. Lp-PLA2 level was higher in AIS patients with unstable plaques and in AIS patients with moderate to severe neurological injury. Lp-PLA2 level was positively correlated with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score (r = 0.335, p = 0.001). We found that the optimal cut-off value for Lp-PLA2 level was 123.365 ng/ml, at which the sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of ACI were 74.5 and 86.7%, respectively, and the area under ROC curve (AUC) was 0.892. Similarly, the optimal value for Lp-PLA2 level was 136.46 ng/ml, at which the sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of the presence of moderate to severe artery stenosis or occlusion were 79.6 and 95.2%, respectively, and the AUC was 0.938. The ROC curve indicated that serum Lp-PLA2 level has an excellent diagnostic value for AIS and severe stenosis. Based on these results we conclude that Lp-PLA2 could be a potential biomarker to complement the current imaging methods in the prediction and diagnosis of AIS. An elevated Lp-PLA2 level is also correlated with carotid plaque instability, severe neurological injury and cerebrovascular stenosis. Future longitudinal studies are needed to determine whether there is a causative relationship between Lp-PLA2 and AIS.

Effects of site, cerebral perfusion and degree of cerebral artery stenosis on cognitive function.

To investigate the effects of site, cerebral perfusion and degree of cerebral artery stenosis (CAS) on cognitive function. A total of 57 patients with CAS and 53 controls from January 2019 to December 2019 were included. The former group was further divided into different subgroups according to the site, cerebral perfusion and degree of CAS. A series of neuropsychological tests were performed to evaluate the cognitive domains (such as memory, executive function, psychomotor speed, etc.). Rank sum test, t test, Chi-square test and analysis of variance were used for data analysis. Spearman correlation analysis was used to examine the relationship between the site, cerebral perfusion and degree of CAS and all tests' scores. For patients with CAS who have decreased cerebral perfusion, their global cognitive function, memory, psychomotor speed, executive function and frontal lobe function were significantly impaired (all P < 0.05). There was a significant decrease in global cognitive function, psychomotor speed, memory, executive function and frontal lobe function in patients with anterior circulation stenosis (all P < 0.05). Moderate and severe CAS impaired subjects' global cognitive function, memory, psychomotor speed, executive function and frontal lobe function (all P < 0.05). There was a correlation between the site, cerebral perfusion, the degree of CAS and cognitive function. Global cognitive function, memory, psychomotor speed, frontal lobe function and executive function are impaired in patients with CAS, especially in those with anterior circulatory stenosis, moderate to severe stenosis and low cerebral perfusion.See Video Abstract, http://links.lww.com/WNR/A613.

Correlation of collateral circulation and prognosis in patients with acute cerebral infarction

To evaluate the correlation of collateral circulation with prognosis in patients with acute cerebral infarction. A total of 260 patients with acute ischemic stroke within 1 week of symptom onset underwent digital subtraction angiogram (DSA). The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores were obtained at admission. And the Modified Rankin scores (mRS) were assessed at a 3-month follow-up. The follow-up data were acquired through clinic visits or telephone interviews. Among them, 86 were found to have intra- or extra-cranial culprit artery severe stenosis or occlusion. And 36 (75.00%) in 48 patients had collateral arterial circulation while 11 (28.64%) in 38 patients posterior circulation. There were statistical differences in the NIHSS scores at admission and favorite clinical outcome (mRS ≤ 2) at 3-month follow-up for patients with and without collateral circulation. DSA is the golden standard for the assessment of collateral circulation in patients with severe cerebral artery stenosis or occlusion. The prognosis is better in stroke patients with collateral circulation.

Lemierre Syndrome with Meningo-Encephalitis, Severe Cerebral Artery Stenosis, and Focal Neurological Symptoms

Lemierre Syndrome with Meningo-Encephalitis, Severe Cerebral Artery Stenosis, and Focal Neurological Symptoms

老年者の貧血下における脳梗塞の原因

The authors investigated the cause of cerebral infarctions in elderly patients with anemia. Among 411 patients with acute cerebral infarctions, eight patients showed anemia (Hb < 10 g/dl) at the time of stroke. Only 2 patients had strokes during hospitalization were aware of their anemias before stroke. They were classified into two groups. One was the sudden onset group (4 patients) of whom 3 had malignant tumors, and 2 showed disseminated intravascular coagulations (DIC). There were no patients with atrial fibrillation or cardiac disease. All patients showed cortical infarction, and two died soon after stroke. Autopsy revealed verruca formation of the mitral valve in one patient and thrombus in the right ventricle in another. We thought that non-bacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE) was the major cause of cerebral infarctions in this group. The other group consisted of 4 cases of thrombotic stroke. Their neurological symptoms appeared to be progressive. They also showed cortical infarctions except for one case of pontine infarction. Severe stenosis of the cerebral arteries was revealed by angiography in two patients and by autopsy in one. We concluded that cerebral infarctions in elderly patients with anemia can be important signs of underlying malignant tumors in sudden onset strokes or cases of severe cerebral artery stenosis with thrombotic strokes.