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The expected growth of stroke burden in Korea in early 2000s led to the initiation of a government-funded clinical research project with the goal of development and implementation of national stroke guidelines. The CRCS-K (Clinical Research Collaboration for Stroke in Korea) began as a part of this project. For stroke epidemiology and quality of care research, the CRCS-K developed a multicenter, prospective, stroke registry and began collection of data in 2008. Now, about 100 000 cases have been registered at 17 university hospitals or regional stroke centers and about 200 articles have been published based on the registry experience. The analysis of the 10-year secular trends showed overall improvement of stroke care and outcomes and areas for improvement. This large-scale, high-quality dataset provides opportunities to explore and compare treatment disparities using the comparative effectiveness research methods, design and conduct a registry-based randomized clinical trial, connect the registry data with other data sources including the national claims data and neuroimaging or genetic data, and collaborate with other international researchers. An international stroke registry consortium may be a viable future direction.

The etiology or rate of recurrent ischemic stroke according to dosing methods including drug adherence in patients taking non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) remain uncertain. We investigated the association between dosing methods including drug adherence achieved with NOACs and the presence of major vessel occlusion (MVO) in patients with ischemic stroke with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). From July 2013 through December 2016, 120 patients with recurrent ischemic stroke with NVAF on NOACs were retrospectively analyzed. Patients taking non-standard doses of NOACs were divided into the missed dose group that discontinued NOACs for ≥48 h prior to arrival, and the under-dose group that used lower doses of NOACs. A logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the association between MVO and dosing methods including drug adherence. There were 60 (50.0%), 39 (32.5%), and 21 (17.5%) patients, respectively, in the standard dose, under-dose, and missed dose groups. Twelve patients (20.0%) in the standard dose group, 15 (38.5%) in the under-dose group, and 13 (61.9%) in the missed dose group had MVO. MVO was significantly higher in the missed dose group than in the standard dose and under-dose groups (P = 0.002). In patients with ischemic stroke with NVAF, who are on NOACs, anticoagulation caused by missed or lowered doses of NOACs was significantly associated with MVO in patients with recurrent cardioembolic stroke.

Non-valvular atrial fibrillation patients receiving non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have half the incidence of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) compared to those receiving warfarin. However, the differences in outcomes of NOAC-associated ICH (NICH) and warfarin-associated ICH (WICH) remain controversial. In this study, we investigated the clinical outcome and radiologic findings of ICH in Asian patients receiving NOACs or warfarin. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 544 ICH patients admitted to our hospital from January 2013 through December 2017, and compared the baseline demographics, clinical characteristics, ICH-related radiologic findings, and clinical outcome between the WICH and NICH groups. WICH and NICH were diagnosed in 46 and 13 patients, respectively. Lesions were located more frequently in the supratentorial deep area (45.7% and 46.2%) than the lobar area (30.4% and 30.8%) or brainstem and cerebellum (23.9% and 23.1%) in the WICH and NICH groups, respectively. The hematoma expansion and concomitant intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) rate was significantly higher in the WICH group than in the NICH group (58.7% versus 7.7%, P = 0.001 and 50.0% versus 15.4%, P = 0.030, respectively). Hematoma expansion (odds ratio [OR]: 50.546; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.763–924.748; P = 0.008) and concomitant IVH (OR: 9.240; 95% CI: 1.450–58.892; P = 0.019) were independently associated with mortality at three months, after adjustment for confounding variables. Our results indicate that the radiological findings and clinical outcome at three months in patients with ICH are more favorable in those receiving NOAC therapy than in those receiving warfarin treatment.

Background: In general, disease severity has been found to be associated with abnormal chloride levels in critically ill patients, but hyperchloremia is associated with mixed results regarding patient-centered clinical outcomes. We aimed to investigate the impact of maximum serum chloride concentration on the clinical outcomes of critically ill patients with large hemispheric infarction (LHI).Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study using prospective institutional neurocritical care registry data from 2013 to 2018. Patients with LHIs involving over two-thirds of middle cerebral artery territory, with or without infarction of other vascular territories, and a baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of ≥13 were assessed. Those with a baseline creatinine clearance of Results: Of 90 patients, 20 (22.2%) died in-hospital. Patients who died in-hospital had significantly higher maximum serum chloride levels than did those who survived up to hospital discharge (139.7 ± 8.1 vs. 119.1 ± 10.4 mmol/L; p < 0.001). After adjusting for age, sex, and Glasgow coma scale score, each 5-mmol/L increase in maximum serum chloride concentration was independently associated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 4.34; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.98–9.50; p < 0.001). Maximum serum chloride level was also an independent risk factor for 3-month mortality (aOR, 1.99 [per 5 mmol/L increase]; 95% CI, 1.42–2.79; p < 0.001) and AKI occurrence (aOR, 1.57 [per 5 mmol/L increase]; 95% CI, 1.18–2.08; p = 0.002).Conclusions: High maximum serum chloride concentrations were associated with poor clinical outcomes in critically ill patients with LHI. This study highlights the importance of monitoring serum chloride levels and avoiding hyperchloremia in this patient population.

Contrast leakage on non-enhanced brain computed tomography (CT) is a common phenomenon after diagnostic or interventional cerebral angiography in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Contrast leakage is known to be related to the loosening of the blood-brain barrier. Sometimes, the contrast leakage on non-enhanced brain CT has been mistaken for intracranial hemorrhage. Differentiating the contrast leakage from the intracranial hemorrhage on non-enhanced brain CT is a very important issue, because subsequent treatment after intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) or intra-arterial thrombolysis would depend on the result of brain CT after thrombolysis. Recently, we experienced a case of contrast leakage mimicking intraventricular hemorrhage in a patient with IVT. The contrast leakage into the lateral ventricles after IVT is not a common phenomenon. We describe here our case.

Objectives: To validate a visual rating scale reflecting sub-regional patterns of putaminal hypointensity in susceptibility-weighted imaging of patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA).Methods: Using a visual rating scale (from G0 to G3), 2 examiners independently rated putaminal hypointensities of 37 MSA patients and 21 control subjects. To investigate the correlation with the scales, R2* values and the volume of the entire putamen were measured.Results: MSA patients with parkinsonian variant had significantly higher scores than those with cerebellar variant. Visual rating scores in MSA were correlated with R2* values [General estimating equation (GEE), Wald chi-square = 25.89, corrected p < 0.001] and volume (Wald chi-square = 75.44, corrected p < 0.001). They correlated with UPDRS motor scores. Binary logistic regression analyses revealed that the visual rating scale was a significant predictor for discriminating MSA patients from controls [multivariate model adjusted for age and sex, odds ratio 52.722 (corrected p = 0.009)]. Pairwise comparison between areas under the curve (AUCs) revealed that the visual rating scale demonstrated higher accuracy than R2* values [difference between AUCs; univariate model = 0.247 (corrected p < 0.001); multivariate model = 0.186 (corrected p = 0.003)]. There were no significant differences in clinical characteristics between the high-iron group, defined as putamen with visual rating scale ≥ G2 and R2* values ≥ third quartile, and the remaining patients.Conclusion: The visual rating scale, which reflects quantitative iron content and atrophy of the putamen as well as motor severities, could be useful for the discrimination and evaluation of patients with MSA.

Heat stroke is a life-threatening disease characterized by hyperthermia and neurological dysfunction. The central nervous system is highly sensitive to hyperthermia, which causes neurological complications due to the involvement of the cerebellum, basal ganglia, anterior horn cells, and peripheral nerves. Several studies reported about clinical symptoms and brain image findings of heat stroke. Isolated cranial nerve dysfunction caused by lacunar infarction is an extremely rare condition in patient with heat stroke. We experienced a rare case of trochlear nerve palsy due to midbrain infarction caused by heat stroke.

Early neurological deterioration (END) and poor outcome frequently occur in lenticulostriate artery (LSA) infarction due to branch atheromatous disease (BAD). We evaluate whether the tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) can prevent END and improve the outcome by comparing with anti-platelet treatment in LSA infarction due to BAD. We enrolled the patients with LSA infarction due to BAD who arrived at the hospital within 24h from onset, and divided those into two groups by whether tPA was given or not. END and good outcome (modified Rankin score: 0-1) at 3months were examined between two groups. Consecutive 35 patients of LSA infarction due to BAD enrolled in this study. Nine patients were given tPA (tPA group) and 26 patients antiplatelets only (non-tPA group). Patients in tPA group showed no symptomatic hemorrhage. END occurred in 68.6% (24/35) of all patients, 66.7% (6/9) of tPA group and 69.2% (18/26) of non-tPA group (p=0.886). The proportion of good outcome at 3months were 25.7% in all patients, 22.2% (2/9) in tPA group and 26.9% (7/26) in non-tPA (p=0.781). tPA did not adequately prevent END, and did not show better outcome in LSA infarction due to BAD compared with antiplatelet therapy only. More effective treatment strategies are needed for prevention of END and favourable outcome in BAD.