Cardio Embolic Strokes

OBJECTIVES: Vascular compliance is emerging as a useful cardiovascular risk factor. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between arterial stiffness and stroke severity at presentation and 3 weeks. METHODS: Forty two patients with acute ischemic stroke (55% male, mean age 71 years) were recruited over 15-months. Stroke subtypes were classified into lacunar circulation infarct (LACI), partial anterior circulation infarct (PACI), and posterior circulation infarct (POCI)...

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the Economic burden for ischemic stroke (IS) patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) in China. AIM: We aimed to compare the economic burden of treatment-related costs in IS patients with AF vs. without AF in China. METHODS: This retrospective analysis used economic burden data from the Beijing urban health insurance database. Using a random sampling method, 10% of the patients diagnosed with IS from January 1 through December 31, 2012 were enrolled...

Background The use of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging is increasing, but its role in the diagnostic work-up following ischemic stroke has received limited study. We aimed to explore the added yield of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging to identify cardio-aortic sources not detected by transesophageal echocardiography among patients with cryptogenic stroke. Methods A retrospective single-center cohort study was performed from 01 January 2009 to 01 March 2013. Consecutive patients who had both a stroke protocol cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and a transesophageal echocardiography preformed during a single hospitalization were included...

OBJECTIVES: To explore the association of baseline characteristics and the outcome of patients with acute basilar artery occlusion (BAO) after stent retriever-based thrombectomy (SRT). METHODS: Clinical and imaging information of consecutive SRT-treated patients with BAO from a comprehensive stroke center and up-to-date literature were reviewed respectively. The impact of baseline variables toward favorable outcome was evaluated using subgroup analysis and odds ratio (OR) extracted from published data together with single-center records using pooled analysis...

PURPOSE: We examined the incidence of seizures following ischemic stroke in a community-based sample. METHODS: All subjects with incident ischemic strokes in the Framingham Original and Offspring cohorts between 1982 and 2003 were identified and followed for up to 20 years to determine incidence of seizures. Seizure-type was based on the 2010 International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) classification. Disability was stratified into mild/none, moderate and severe, based on post-stroke neurological deficit documentation according to the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) protocol and functional status was determined using the Barthel Index...

Mitral stenosis is a valvular heart disease characterised by narrowing of mitral orifice. It can lead to a dilated left atrium with atrial fibrillation culminating into thrombus formation. Patients with mitral stenosis, presenting with stroke-like episodes, most likely experience cardio-embolic phenomenon; but unusual and unprecedented associations do occur. Reported association of cardiac MS with demyelinating CNS MS has never been proven; but authors have speculated theories based on case reports and series...

INTRODUCTION: The cardiac sodium channel SCN5A regulates atrioventricular and ventricular depolarization as well as cardiac conduction. Patients with cardiac electrical abnormalities have an increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) and cardio-embolic stroke. Optimal management of cardiac disease includes the understanding of association between the causative mutations and the clinical phenotype. A 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) is an easy and inexpensive tool for finding risk patients...

BACKGROUND: The Amplatzer Amulet (St. Jude Medical, Minneapolis, MN, USA) is a second gen-eration Amplatzer device for left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion (LAAO) for stroke prophylaxis in patients with atrial fibrillation. This research sought to assess the clinical performance of the Amplatzer Amulet device and in follow up for 12 months. METHODS: In this single-center registry patients with atrial fibrillation and contraindication to oral anticoagulation underwent LAAO with the Amplatzer Amulet device...

This study aimed to know how frontline physicians in France, Belgium, and Switzerland implement guidelines regarding the secondary prevention of childhood arterial ischemic stroke and to introduce physicians' point of view on a clinical trial assessing the efficacy of aspirin as a preventive strategy. The authors conducted an online survey directed at specialists throughout dedicated networks and used a mixed method for data analysis. Overall, 63 physicians responded, and 88% prescribe aspirin when sickle cell disease, cardio-embolic stroke, and dissection of cervical arteries are excluded...

BACKGROUND: Although 20-30% of all strokes occur in the posterior circulation, few studies have explored the characteristics of patients with strokes in the posterior compared to the anterior circulation so far. Especially data on young patients is missing. METHODS: In this secondary analysis of data of the prospective multi-centre European sifap1 study that investigated stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) patients aged 18-55 years, we compared vascular risk factors, stroke aetiology, presence of white matter hyperintensities (WMH) and cerebral microbleeds (CMB) between patients with ischaemic posterior circulation stroke (PCS) and those having suffered from anterior circulation stroke (ACS) based on cerebral MRI...

Aims: MyDiagnostick (MDK) is a novel portable ECG recorder. We conducted this study to evaluate its role in screening for atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods: The device is a cylindrical rod with metallic electrodes at both ends recording electrocardiogram (ECG) when both electrodes are held. Individuals were requested to hold the device for approximately 15 s, the device was then connected to a laptop (with proprietary software downloaded) and analysed. Anonymised ECGs were stored for further analysis. A total of 855 ECGs were recorded and analysed offline by two arrhythmia specialists assessing ECG quality, in particular the level of noise...

A 71-year-old male presented after sudden onset of confusion and expressive aphasia. MRI head revealed multiple ischemic lesions consistent with cardio-embolic pathophysiology. A computed tomography angiography of lung showed peripheral pulmonary emboli. He underwent a transesophageal echocardiogram as a part of the stroke workup and was found to have vegetations on both aortic and tricuspid valves. The blood cultures did not show any growth, and the patient remained afebrile during the course of hospitalization...

Bilateral thalamic infarction (BTI) typically presents as a sleep-like coma (SLC) without localizing signs, posing a diagnostic challenge that may lead the treating physician to search for toxic or metabolic causes and delay treatment. We review our experience with BTI of different etiologies, and emphasize the critical role of timely imaging, diagnosis, and management in a series of 12 patients with a presentation of SLC and acute BTI who were managed in our Medical Centers from 2006-2015. In 11/12, urgent head CT scans showed normal brain tissue, while diffusion-weighted (DWI) MRI revealed symmetric bilateral thalamic hyperintense lesions with variable degrees of brainstem involvement...

Stroke caused by an embolism accounts for about a third of all stroke cases. Understanding the source and cause of the embolism is critical for diagnosis and long-term treatment of such stroke cases. The complex nature of the transport of an embolus within large arteries is a primary hindrance to a clear understanding of embolic stroke etiology. Recent advances in medical image-based computational hemodynamics modeling have rendered increasing utility to such techniques as a probe into the complex flow and transport phenomena in large arteries...

OBJECTIVE: To identify the different subtypes of acute ischemic stroke, and estimate the frequency of various risk factors among these patients. METHODS: In this retrospective, cross-sectional study, we reviewed the medical records of patients admitted with the diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke at King Fahd Hospital of the University, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia from March 2008 till December 2015. The demographic characteristics, subtypes of stroke, risk factors (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, valvular heart disease) and other relevant data were documented on pre-defined data sheets...

Patent foramen ovale (PFO)-related stroke is increasingly recognized as an important etiology of ischemic embolic stroke-accounting for up to 50% of strokes previously considered 'cryptogenic' or with an unknown mechanism. As a 'back door to the brain,' PFO can allow venous clots to enter arterial circulation via interatrial right-to-left shunting, potentially resulting in ischemic stroke. We observe that clinically, PFO-related stroke affects women of childbearing age, and that pregnancy-owing to major changes in hemocoagulative, hormonal, and cardiovascular parameters-can enhance stroke risks...

INTRODUCTION: Ablation of longstanding persistent atrial fibrillation (LSPAF) is the most challenging procedure in the treatment of AF, either by surgical or by percutaneous approach. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the difference in success and complication rates between combined surgical epicardial and endocardial catheter ablation procedure and our standard endocardial ablation procedure. METHODS AND RESULTS: Twenty-four consecutive patients (group 1) with LSPAF and enlarged left atrium (>4...

BACKGROUND: Cardio-embolic etiology is the most frequently predicted cause of cryptogenic stroke/TIA. Detection of occult paroxysmal atrial fibrillation is crucial for selection of appropriate medication. METHODS: Enrolment of eligible cryptogenic stroke and TIA patients began in 2014 and will continue until 2018. The patients undergo long-term (12 months) ECG monitoring (implantable loop recorder) and testing for PITX2 (chromosome 4q25) and ZFHX3 (chromosome 16q22) gene mutations...

The association between chronic kidney disease and spontaneous hemorrhagic transformation (HT) in patients with acute ischemic stroke is seldom reported. We performed this study to identify whether reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is associated with spontaneous HT in acute ischemic stroke patients, and examine whether the association depends on stroke etiology. Patients diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke whose serum creatinine levels at admission were available were consecutively and prospectively enrolled in the Chengdu Stroke Registry Database...

BACKGROUND: Estrogen is involved in neuron plasticity and can promote neuronal survival in stroke. Its actions are mostly exerted via estrogen receptor alpha (ERα). Previous animal studies have shown that ERα is upregulated by DNA demethylation following ischemic injury. This study investigated the methylation levels in the ERα promoter in the peripheral blood of ischemic stroke patients. METHODS: The study included 201 ischemic stroke patients, and 217 age- and sex-comparable healthy controls...