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Background: The efficacy and safety of dabigatran etexilate for Chinese patients with cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) has not been well established. Methods: CHOICE-CVT was an exploratory, single-center, randomized, open-label study in the National Center for Neurological Disorders involving Chinese patients with CVT aged 18 to 80 years who were randomly assigned (1:1) to either dabigatran etexilate or warfarin. Oral anticoagulants were initiated after 10–15 days of LMWH. The primary efficacy and safety endpoints included the number of patients with recurrent CVT and/or deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and major clinical bleeding within 180 days. Secondary efficacy endpoints included venous recanalization and change in papilledema at day 180. Secondary safety outcomes comprised death, clinical nonmajor bleeding, and any bleeding. The study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov under NCT03930940. Results: Between October 2017 and February 2023, a total of 89 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive either dabigatran etexilate (n = 44) or warfarin (n = 45). At day 180, the dabigatran etexilate group showed a statistically nonsignificant but likely clinically significant number of patients with recurrent CVT and/or DVT (8 (18.2%; 95% CI, 6.3–30.0) vs 3 (6.7%; 95% CI, 0.0–14.2), p = 0.099, with a power (1-β) of 38.401%) compared with the warfarin group. The dabigatran etexilate group showed a comparable number of patients with clinical major bleeding (0 (0) vs 0 (0) p = 1.000), and clinical nonmajor bleeding (1 (2.3%; 95% CI, 0.0–6.9) vs 1 (2.2%; 95% CI, 0.0–6.7)) but demonstrated a lower risk of any bleeding (1 (2.3%; 95% CI, 0.0–6.9) vs 9 (20.0%; 95% CI, 7.8–32.2)) compared with the warfarin group. Most patients in both groups achieved venous recanalization according to the Modified Qureshi scale (27 (75%; 95% CI, 60.1–89.9) in the dabigatran etexilate group vs 34 (82.9%; 95% CI, 70.9–95.0) in the warfarin group) and exhibited improvement in papilledema as per the Frisén classification (35 (97.2%; 95% CI, 91.6–100.0) in the dabigatran etexilate group vs 37 (88.1%, 95% CI, 77.9–98.3) in the warfarin group). Conclusions: These findings regarding efficacy and safety support the consideration of dabigatran etexilate therapy as a viable treatment option for Chinese patients with CVT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective. Approximately 50% of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients who achieve complete recanalization after endovascular therapy (EVT) experience unfavorable outcomes that are potentially partially attributed to incomplete microvascular reperfusion, which can possibly be improved by antiplatelet treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of periprocedural tirofiban on AIS patients who achieved complete recanalization with EVT. Methods. Anterior circulation large-vessel occlusion stroke patients who achieved complete recanalization after EVT were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were dichotomized into tirofiban and nontirofiban groups and compared. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance baseline confounders. 3-month functional independence (modified Rankin scale: 0–2), any intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), symptomatic ICH (sICH), arterial reocclusion, in-hospital mortality, and 3-month mortality were evaluated. Results. This study included 303 patients with 118 and 185 in the nontirofiban and tirofiban groups, respectively. After PSM, 85 couples with balanced baseline characteristics were generated. 49 (57.6%) and 36 patients (42.4%) in the tirofiban and nontirofiban groups achieved functional independence at 3 months with a significant difference (risk ratio: 1.361, 95% confidence interval: 1.001–1.852, P = 0.046). However, there was no significant difference between the tirofiban and nontirofiban groups in terms of the other outcomes (all P > 0.05). Conclusions. In anterior circulation, large-vessel occlusion AIS patients who achieved complete recanalization with EVT, periprocedural tirofiban may improve the functional outcomes and does not appear to increase the rate of ICH and sICH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inflammation was associated with the severity of severe cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) on admission and poor prognosis at discharge. Hereditary protein C/S deficiency (hereditary PCD/PSD) not only promotes thrombosis but also activates the inflammatory response, further inducing venous thrombosis. However, conventional treatments such as standard anticoagulant/endovascular therapy (EVT) do not seem to improve prognosis. Anti-inflammatory therapy may be a new way to treat the disease.Methods: We enrolled five patients with acute/subacute severe CVT with hereditary PCD/PSD from January 2020 to July 2022. In addition to standard anticoagulant therapy, all of them were given short-term methylprednisolone pulse therapy. Neurological deficit, increased intracranial pressure, venous recanalization, serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) inflammatory markers and adverse events were retrospectively described before and after treatment and at 6 months after discharge.Results: Inflammatory indexes of all patients were significantly elevated on admission. After methylprednisolone pulse therapy, serum inflammatory indexes including neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (P=0.043); platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (P=0.043); systemic immune inflammatory index (P=0.043); interleukin-6 (P=0.043) and hypersensitive C-reactive protein (P=0.022) reduced dramatically compared with baseline. CSF inflammatory indexes had a decreasing trend compared with baseline (P> 0.05). In terms of venous recanalization, one patient achieved complete recanalization, four patients obtained partial recanalization. Compared with baseline on admission, the NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS), modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and intracranial pressure were all considerably lower at discharge (P=0.029, P=0.041 and P=0.017). At 6-month follow-up, NIHSS and mRS further declined. During hospitalization and 6-month follow-up, none of the five patients experienced severe steroid-related adverse effects such as recurrence of venous thrombosis, spontaneous fracture or osteonecrosis, and gastroduodenal ulcer.Conclusion: Acute/subacute severe CVT with hereditary PCD/PSD has high levels of inflammation. In addition to conventional anticoagulant therapy, early anti-inflammatory therapy using steroids may be necessary. Nevertheless, substantial randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes are required for further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adenovirus-based COVID-19 vaccines are extensively used in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Remarkably, cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis due to vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (CVST-VITT) have rarely been reported from LMICs. Aims: We studied the frequency, manifestations, treatment, and outcomes of CVST-VITT in LMICs. Methods: We report data from an international registry on CVST after COVID-19 vaccination. VITT was classified according to the Pavord criteria. We compared CVST-VITT cases from LMICs to cases from high-income countries (HICs). Results: Until August 2022, 228 CVST cases were reported, of which 63 were from LMICs (all middle-income countries [MICs]: Brazil, China, India, Iran, Mexico, Pakistan, Turkey). Of these 63, 32 (51%) met the VITT criteria, compared to 103 of 165 (62%) from HICs. Only 5 of the 32 (16%) CVST-VITT cases from MICs had definite VITT, mostly because anti-platelet factor 4 antibodies were often not tested. The median age was 26 (interquartile range [IQR] 20–37) versus 47 (IQR 32–58) years, and the proportion of women was 25 of 32 (78%) versus 77 of 103 (75%) in MICs versus HICs, respectively. Patients from MICs were diagnosed later than patients from HICs (1/32 [3%] vs. 65/103 [63%] diagnosed before May 2021). Clinical manifestations, including intracranial hemorrhage, were largely similar as was intravenous immunoglobulin use. In-hospital mortality was lower in MICs (7/31 [23%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 11–40]) than in HICs (44/102 [43%, 95% CI 34–53], p = 0.039). Conclusions: The number of CVST-VITT cases reported from LMICs was small despite the widespread use of adenoviral vaccines. Clinical manifestations and treatment of CVST-VITT cases were largely similar in MICs and HICs, while mortality was lower in patients from MICs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is a rare subtype of stroke. However, existing scales were insufficient to evaluate the overall severity of CVT. The aim of this study is to develop and validate a CVT severity scale.Methods: Items 1– 11 were directly derived from NIHSS. New items were generated from a literature review and focus group discussion. A total of 170 CVT patients were prospectively recruited from 26 top tertiary hospitals in China Mainland from January 2021 to May 2022 to validate the CVT severity scale. The CVT severity scale, NIHSS, mRS and GCS were rated at admission. The lumbar puncture opening pressure was also recorded. Twenty randomly selected CVT patients were rated with the CVT severity scale again 24 hours later. The clinical outcome of CVT was evaluated by mRS at 6 months after baseline.Results: We successfully established a CVT severity scale with 18 items. Exploratory factor analysis showed that 18 items were attributed to factor 1 (focal neurological deficits), factor 2 (diffuse encephalopathy), factor 3 (intracranial hypertension) and factor 4 (cavernous sinus syndrome). CVT severity scale was positively correlated with ICP, NIHSS and mRS, and negatively correlated with GCS at baseline. CVT severity scale > 3 or factor 3 > 2 indicated intracranial hypertension. CVT severity scale > 10 indicated poor clinical outcome at 6 months of follow-up. Meanwhile, CVT severity scale showed high internal consistency and test–retest reliability.Conclusion: The CVT severity scale included 18 items encompassing 4 domains of focal neurological deficits, diffuse encephalopathy, IH and cavernous sinus syndrome. CVT severity scale correlated well with ICP, NIHSS, mRS and GCS. Patients with CVT severity scale > 10 can be defined as severe CVT. The CVT severity scale may serve as a valid and reliable tool for measuring the overall severity of CVT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is a special and easily misdiagnosed or undiagnosed subtype of stroke. To identify specific biomarkers with a high predictive ability for the diagnosis of acute CVT, we performed metabolomic analysis in plasma samples from acute CVT patients and healthy controls and confirmed the results in validation cohorts. In the discovery stage, there were 343 differential metabolites, and the caffeine metabolism pathway and the biosynthesis pathway for the branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) valine, leucine, and isoleucine were two significant pathways between the CVT and healthy cohorts. The area under the curve (AUC) for metabolites associated with valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosynthesis was 0.934. In the validation stage, the BCAA concentrations demonstrated an AUC of 0.935 to differentiate patients with acute CVT from the control cohort. In addition, BCAAs combined with D-dimer levels were used to establish a diagnostic model for CVT, and the AUC was 0.951, showing good diagnostic efficacy of separating CVT patients from the control cohort. BCAAs as plasma biomarkers deserve to be further studied and even developed in clinical CVT management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: An applicable cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) model is imperative for exploring its pathophysiology. We established a novel severe CVST model using semi‐ligation, ferric chloride, and thrombin. Methods: A total of 138 male Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into semi‐ligation (n = 75) and non‐semi‐ligation (n = 63) groups. A sham group (n = 46) was also included. We compared short‐term and long‐term neurological and cognitive dysfunction, mortality rates, thrombus load, venous infarction volume, the blood–brain barrier permeability, brain water content, and microglia activation among the three groups. Results: Thrombi involving multiple venous sinuses appeared in all semi‐ligation rats within 2 days postoperatively. Compared with the non‐semi‐ligation group, short‐term and long‐term neurological dysfunction were more severe (p < 0.05), and thrombus weight, venous infarction volumes, and microglia activation were more significant (p < 0.05) in the semi‐ligation group. Further, the cognitive function of the semi‐ligation group significantly decreased (p < 0.05) on postoperative day 21. Cumulative mortality rates between the semi‐ligation and non‐semi‐ligation groups did not differ significantly. Conclusion: Semi‐ligation combined with ferric chloride and thrombin can produce a severe CVST model with multiple venous sinus involvement, which is suitable for short‐ and long‐term neurological and cognitive dysfunction assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to explore the effect of different administration routes of a low dose of tirofiban on acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients with successful recanalization after endovascular treatment (EVT). Methods: This is a cohort study that retrospectively analyzed data of patients with AIS who underwent EVT and achieved successful recanalization from a prospective registry. Eligible patients were divided into three groups according to their use of tirofiban. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance baseline bias. Safety outcomes included any intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) and symptomatic ICH (sICH). Efficacy outcomes included arterial reocclusion, in‐hospital mortality, 3‐month mortality, and 3‐month functional outcomes. Results: We included 821 patients with 306 in the no tirofiban group, 202 in the IA + IV tirofiban group, and 313 in the IV tirofiban group. After PSM, each group included 101 patients with balanced baseline characteristics. There was no difference between the IV tirofiban group and the no tirofiban group in terms of safety and efficacy outcomes (all p > 0.05). Compared with no tirofiban, IA + IV tirofiban group did not increase ICH (30.7% vs. 37.6%, p > 0.05) and sICH (6.9% vs. 17.8%, p > 0.05) whereas reduced 3‐month mortality (14.3% vs. 28.7%, p < 0.05) and improved 3‐month modified Rankin Scale (median 3 vs. 4, p < 0.05). Conclusions: A low dose of tirofiban, regardless of their administration routes, was safe for AIS patients who achieved successful recanalization with EVT, whereas only IA + IV tirofiban improved clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: There are no randomized trials examining the best treatment for acute basilar artery occlusion in the 6–24-hour time window. Aims: To assess the safety and efficacy of thrombectomy for stroke due to basilar artery occlusion in patients randomized within 6–24 h from symptom onset or time last seen well. Sample size: For an estimated difference of 20% in proportions of the primary outcome between the two groups, 318 patients will be included for 5% significance and 90% power with a planned interim analysis after two-thirds of the sample size (212 patients) have achieved the 90 days follow-up. Methods and design: A prospective, multi-center, randomized, controlled, open-label and blinded-endpoint trial. The randomization employs a 1:1 ratio of mechanical thrombectomy with the detachable Solitaire thrombectomy device and best medical therapy (BMT) vs. BMT alone. Study outcomes: The primary outcome will be the proportion of patients achieving modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 0–3 at 90 days. Key secondary outcomes are: dramatic early favorable response, dichotomized mRS score (0–2 vs. 3–6 and 0–4 vs. 5–6) at 90 days, ordinal (shift) mRS analysis at 90 days, infarct volume at 24 h, vessel recanalization at 24 h in both treatment arms, and successful recanalization in the thrombectomy arm according to the modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (mTICI) classification defined as mTICI 2 b or 3. Safety variables are mortality at 90 days, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage rates at 24 h, and procedure-related complications. Discussion: Results from this trial will indicate whether mechanical thrombectomy is superior to medical management alone in achieving favorable outcomes in subjects with acute stroke caused by basilar artery occlusion presenting within 6–24 h from symptom onset. Trial registration: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02737189. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An innovative (layered depth image (LDI) compression technique is proposed. The new approach?deals with?multiple layers and depth coding.

Background: Despite the continuing effort in investigating the preventive therapies for stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP), which is closely associated with unfavorable outcomes, conclusively effective therapy for the prevention of SAP is still lacking. Remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) has been proven to improve the survival in the sepsis model and inflammatory responses have been indicated as important mechanisms involved in the multi-organ protection effect of RIC. This study aimed to assess the safety and the preliminary efficacy of RIC in the prevention of SAP in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods: We performed a proof-of-concept, pilot open-label randomized controlled trial. Eligible patients (age > 18 years) within 48 h after stroke onset between March 2019 and October 2019 with acute ischemic stroke were randomly allocated (1:1) to the RIC group and the control group. All participants received standard medical therapy. Patients in the RIC group underwent RIC twice daily for 6 consecutive days. The safety outcome included any adverse events associated with RIC procedures. The efficacy outcome included the incidence of SAP, changes of immunological profiles including mHLA-DR, TLR-2, and TLR-4 as well as other plasma parameters from routine blood tests. Results: In total, 46 patients aged 63.1 ± 12.5 years, were recruited (23 in each group). Overall, 19 patients in the RIC group and 22 patients in the control group completed this study. No severe adverse event was attributed to RIC procedures. The incidence of SAP was lower in the remote ischemic conditioning group (2 patients [10.5%]) than that in the control group (6 patients [27.3%]), but no significant difference was detected in both univariate and multivariate analysis (p = 0.249 and adjusted p = 0.666). No significance has been found in this pilot trial in the level of immunological profiles HLA-DR, TLR4 and TLR2 expressed on monocytes as well as blood parameters tested through routine blood tests between the two groups (p > 0.05). The IL-6 and IL-1β levels at day 5 after admission in the RIC group were lower than those in the control group (p < 0.05). Interpretation: This proof-of-concept pilot randomized controlled trial was to investigate RIC as a prevention method for SAP. Remote ischemic conditioning is safe in the prevention of SAP in patients with acute ischemic stroke. The preventive effect of RIC on SAP should be further validated in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Secondary stroke prevention after a high-risk, non-disabling ischemic cerebrovascular event needs to be enhanced. The study was conducted to investigate whether remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) is effective in preventing recurrent ischemic events within 3 months. Methods: This was a four-center, single-arm, open-label Phase IIa futility trial (PICNIC-One Study). Adult patients (≥18 years of age) who had an acute minor ischemic stroke (AMIS) with a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score ≤ 3 or a transient ischemic attack (TIA) with moderate-to-high risk of stroke recurrence (ABCD score ≥ 4) within 14 days of symptom onset were recruited. Patients received RIC as adjunctive therapy to routine secondary stroke prevention regimen. RIC consisted of five cycles of 5-min inflation (200 mmHg) and 5-min deflation of cuffs (45 min) on bilateral upper limbs twice a day for 90 days. Results: A total of 285 patients met the study criteria, of which 167 provided signed informed consent and were enrolled. Data from 162 were analyzed with five subjects excluded. Recurrent AIS/TIA occurred in 6/162 (3.7%) patients within 3 months, with no occurrence of hemorrhagic stroke. The top three adverse events were upper limb pain (44/162, 27.2%), petechia (26/162, 16.0%), and heart palpitation (5/162, 3.1%). About 68 (42.0%) subjects completed ≥ 50% of 45-min RIC sessions. Conclusions: RIC is a safe add-on procedure and it has a potential benefit in reducing recurrent cerebrovascular events in patients with high-risk, non-disabling ischemic cerebrovascular events as the risk of stroke/TIA events is lower than expected; however, its compliance needs to be improved. Our study provides critical preliminary data to plan a large sample size, randomized controlled clinical study to systematically investigate the safety and efficacy of RIC in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Essential thrombocythemia (ET) is a rare cause of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). Analysis of the risk factors and treatment therapies of CVST in ET has yielded controversial findings. Subjects and Methods: We retrospectively investigated the clinical characteristics of CVST events in ET and compared baseline characteristics, causative factors, hematological effects, and treatments between ET patients with and without CVST. Results: Overall, 91 of 115 patients who met the ET diagnosis were included in this study. Among them, 23 (25.27%) patients met the diagnostic criteria of ET with CVST for inclusion, 14 (60.87%) of whom were females, with a median age of 34 (range 25– 50). CVST diagnosis was made concomitantly to ET in 19 patients (82.61%). The most common symptom and sites of thrombosis of CVST was an acute or subacute headache and sigmoid sinuses, respectively. Compared with ET patients without CVST, ET patients with CVST were significantly younger (37.65± 14.45 vs 60.93± 13.46, P< 0.001) and had lower prevalence of hypertension (4.34 vs 32.35%, P=0.003) and coronary artery disease (0 vs 14.71%, P = 0.045). Patients with CVST presented with significant lower platelet count (510.39± 176.71 vs 750.82± 249.10, P< 0.001) and higher score of IPSET-thrombosis (P=0.017). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that age (P=0.002, OR 1.096, 95% CI 1.035– 1.161), at least one CVRF (P = 0.024, OR 0.037, 95% CI 0.002– 0.649), platelet count (P=0.045, OR 0.994, 95% CI 0.989– 1.001), and lower percentage of antiplatelet therapy (P=0.035, OR 0.307, 95% CI 0.001-1.280) significantly contributed to the risk of CVST in ET. Conclusion: Most patients (95.65%) had a favorable outcome without recurrence after standard anticoagulant and cytoreductive treatment at last follow-up. These findings indicate that CVST may be the initial presentation of ET, with its detection crucial for early diagnosis and appropriate management. Anticoagulant and cytoreductive therapies should be recommended for preventing ET-related CVST with JAK2 V617F mutation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate a novel index to predict SAP for AIS patients who underwent endovascular treatment. Methods: A study was conducted in an advanced comprehensive stroke center from January 2013 to December 2019 aiming to develop and validate a novel index to predict SAP for AIS patients who underwent endovascular treatment. This cohort consisted of a total of 407 consecutively registered AIS patients who underwent endovascular therapy, which was divided into derivation and validation cohorts. Multiple blood parameters as well as demographic features, vascular risk factors, and clinical features were carefully evaluated in the derivation cohort. The independent predictors were obtained using multivariable logistic regression. The scoring system was generated based on the β-coefficients of each independent risk factor. Results: Ultimately, a novel predictive model: the SDL index (stroke history, dysphagia, lymphocyte count < 1.00 × 103/μL) was developed. The SDL index showed good discrimination both in the derivation cohort (AUROC: 0.739, 95% confidence interval, 0.678–0.801) and the validation cohort (AUROC: 0.783, 95% confidence interval, 0.707–0.859). The SDL index was well-calibrated (Hosmer–Lemeshow test) in the derivation cohort (P = 0.389) and the validation cohort (P = 0.692). We therefore divided our population into low (SDL index = 0), medium (SDL index = 1), and high (SDL index ≥ 2) risk groups for SAP. The SDL index showed good discrimination when compared with two existing SAP prediction models. Conclusions: The SDL index is a novel feasible tool to predict SAP risk in acute ischemic stroke patients post endovascular treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the thrombus characteristics affecting the extent of recanalization to identify patients with severe cerebral venous sinus thrombus (CVT) more likely to benefit from endovascular therapy. Methods: Severe CVT patients scheduled for endovascular treatment were prospectively recruited into the study. Each thrombosed venous segment was evaluated regarding complete or partial recanalization based on digital subtraction angiography (DSA) after treatment. Magnetic resonance black‐blood thrombus imaging (MRBTI) was performed 1 day before endovascular treatment. The signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) of the clot, age of the clot, and baseline volume of the clot were compared between the complete and partial recanalization groups. A logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the association between these clot characteristics and recanalization status. Results: Twenty‐one CVT patients undergoing endovascular therapy were prospectively included. There were 110 thrombosed segments, 54 of these segments were completely recanalized after endovascular treatment. An acute clot sign (ACS) was found in 39 segments and a subacute clot sign (SCS) was found in 71 segments. There was no significant difference on baseline volume of the clot (1638.8 ± 1432.2 mm3 vs. 1957.5 ± 2056.1 mm3, P > 0.05) between the complete and partial recanalization groups. Logistic regression analysis showed that ACS on MRBTI was associated with complete recanalization (P < 0.001, odds ratio = 3.937, 95% confidence interval, 1.6–9.5). Interpretation: ACS can be used to predict complete recanalization in patients undergoing endovascular treatment. MRBTI provides a robust method to define clot composition and is potentially useful in selecting the most appropriate CVT patients for endovascular treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

>bold<>italic/italic<>/bold< Intravenous thrombolysis is known as the only effective reperfusion therapy for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) caused by small branches occlusion. However, it is still unclear whether intra-arterial thrombolysis (IAT) is safe and effective for patients without detectable arterial occlusion. This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of IAT in these patients. >bold<>italic/italic<>/bold< Data were collected on consecutive patients from December 2012 to February 2017 at the Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University. AIS patients without large artery occlusion during digital subtraction angiography (DSA) were divided into 2 groups: (1) Intra-arterial urokinase thrombolysis group (UK group): received intra-arterial urokinase thrombolysis treatment; (2) Control group: cerebral angiography examination only. The primary outcome was 3-month favorable functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale 0–2). >bold<>italic/italic<>/bold< A total of 48 patients received urokinase thrombolysis, and 34 patients underwent DSA examination only. The UK group had more frequent favorable functional outcomes (70.8 vs. 50%, >italic/italic< = 0.032) at 3-month follow-up and higher score of National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale improvement on the second day (>italic/italic< = 0.007). One patient (2%) had symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage and 3 patients (6.3%) had asymptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (asICH) in the UK group. One patient (3.3%) had asICH in the control group. There were no significant differences about ICH. >bold<>italic/italic<>/bold< AIS caused by small branches occlusion could benefit from intra-arterial urokinase thrombolysis, and the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage was not significantly higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: Remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) has been demonstrated to be safe and feasible for patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS), as well as for those receiving intravenous thrombolysis. We assessed the safety and feasibility of RIC for AIS patients undergoing endovascular treatment (ET). Methods: We conducted a pilot study with patients with AIS who were suspected of having an emergent large‐vessel occlusion in the anterior circulation and who were scheduled for ET within 6 hours of ictus. Four cycles of RIC were performed before recanalization, immediately following recanalization, and once daily for the subsequent 7 days. The primary outcome was any serious RIC‐related adverse events. Results: Twenty subjects, aged 66.1 ± 12.1 years, were recruited. No subject experienced serious RIC‐related adverse events. The intracranial pressure, cranial perfusion pressure, mean arterial pressure, heart rate, middle cerebral artery peak systolic flow velocity, and pulsatility index did not change significantly before, during, or after the limb ischemia (P > 0.1 for all). Of 80 cycles, 71 (89%) were completed before recanalization and 80 (100%) were completed immediately after recanalization; 444 of 560 cycles (78%) were completed within 7 days posttreatment. No patients had to stop RIC because it affected routine clinical managements. Six subjects (30%) experienced intracerebral hemorrhage, which was symptomatic in one case (5%). At the 3‐month follow‐up, 11 subjects (55%) had achieved functional independence, and two subjects (10%) died. Interpretation: RIC appears to be safe and feasible for patients with AIS undergoing ET. Investigations are urgently needed to determine the efficacy of RIC in this patient population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective is to explore the effective of baseline serum neuron specific enolase (NSE) on predicting the severity and outcome in patients with cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT). A total of 156 patients confirmed as CVT in Xuanwu Hospital were enrolled in this retrospective study from March 2011 through September 2016. The severity was evaluated with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Score (NIHSS), intracranial pressure (ICP), and CVT-related complications; the outcome was evaluated by modified Rankin Scale (mRS); the relationship between baseline serum NSE and mRS was analyzed with receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), logistic regression analysis, and Kaplan-Meier curves. Baseline level of serum NSE was positively associated with baseline NIHSS ( r = 0.322, p < 0.001). Among which, patients with high level of serum NSE were also noticed with cerebral venous infarction ( p < 0.001), intracranial hemorrhage ( p < 0.001), seizure ( p = 0.035). Meanwhile, patients in NSE ≥ 15.05 ng/mL group vs. NSE < 15.05 ng/mL group had large mRS scores (≥ 3) at discharge (adjusted OR: 5.40, 95% CI 1.27-22.91; p = 0.022) and higher percentage of mRS scores ≥ 3 during 40 months of outpatient follow-up (log-rank p < 0.001). Baseline level of serum NSE is positively associated with the severity of CVT. Presumably NSE may be a potential predictor for the clinical outcome of CVT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Large-vessel atherosclerotic disease is an important pathogenesis of deep-perforator infarction (DPI). However, altered vessel walls of intracranial large arteries and distribution of small arteries in DPI are unclear because of the limited resolution of current imaging techniques. In this study the intracranial plaque burden and lenticulostriate artery (LSA) distribution in patients with recent DPI and non-DPI using whole-brain vessel-wall imaging (WB-VWI) were investigated. Methods: A total of 44 patients with recent DPI (23 patients) or non-DPI (21 patients) due to intracranial atherosclerotic disease were prospectively enrolled. WB-VWI was performed in all the patients using a three-dimensional T1-weighted vessel-wall magnetic resonance technique. Hemispheres with DPI and non-DPI were considered as the DPI group and non-DPI group, respectively. Hemispheres without a history of stroke were the control group. The intracranial plaque burden was compared between the DPI and non-DPI groups. The number and length of visualized LSA branches among DPI, non-DPI, and control groups were also evaluated. Results: A total of 77 hemispheres were analyzed (23 in the DPI group, 21 in the non-DPI group, and 33 in the control group). Plaque burden was lower (p = 0.047) in the DPI group (82.0 ± 45.9 mm3) compared with the non-DPI group (130.9 ± 90.3 mm3). There was a significant reduction (p = 0.002) in length of visualized LSA branches in the DPI group (74.1 ± 21.7 mm) compared with the control group (104.6 ± 33.3 mm). Conclusions: WB-VWI enables the combination of vessel-wall and LSA imaging in one image setting, which can provide information about plaque burden and LSA distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]