scholarly journals Dissociating ego- and allocentric neglect after stroke: prevalence, laterality and outcome predictors

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nele Demeyere ◽  
Celine R. Gillebert

AbstractVisuospatial neglect is a neuropsychological condition commonly experienced after stroke, whereby a patient is unable to attend to stimuli on their contralesional side. We aimed to investigate whether egocentric and allocentric neglect are functionally dissociable and differ in prevalence, laterality and outcome predictors. A consecutive sample of 366 acute stroke patients completed the Broken Hearts test from the Oxford Cognitive Screen. A subsample of 160 patients was followed up 6 months later. We evaluated the association between egocentric and allocentric neglect, contrasted the prevalence and severity of left-sided versus right-sided neglect, and determined the predictors of persistence versus recovery at follow up. Clinically, we found a double dissociation between ego- and allocentric neglect, with 50% of the neglect patients showing ‘only’ egocentric neglect and 25% ‘only’ allocentric neglect. Importantly, patients with only allocentric neglect did not demonstrate any egocentric spatial bias in the locations of the allocentric errors. Left-sided egocentric neglect was more prevalent and more severe than right-sided egocentric neglect, though right-sided neglect was still highly prevalent in the acute stroke sample (35%). Leftsided allocentric neglect was more severe but not more prevalent than right-sided allocentric neglect. Overall recovery of neglect was high: 81% of egocentric and 75% of allocentric neglect patients recovered. Severity of neglect was the only significant behavioural measure for predicting recovery at 6 months.

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Julia H. van Tuijl ◽  
Elisabeth P.M. van Raak ◽  
Robert J. van Oostenbrugge ◽  
Albert P. Aldenkamp ◽  
Rob P.W. Rouhl

<b><i>Objective:</i></b> The frequency of seizures after stroke is high, with a severe impact on the quality of life. However, little is known about their prevention. Therefore, we investigated whether early administration of diazepam prevents the development of seizures in acute stroke patients. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We performed a substudy of the EGASIS trial, a multicenter double-blind, randomized trial in which acute stroke patients were treated with diazepam or placebo for 3 days. Follow-up was after 2 weeks and 3 months. The occurrence of seizures was registered prospectively as one of the prespecified secondary outcomes. <b><i>Results:</i></b> 784 EGASIS patients were eligible for this substudy (389 treated with diazepam [49.6%] and 395 treated with placebo [50.4%]). Seizures were reported in 19 patients (2.4% of the total patient group). Seizures occurred less frequently in patients treated with diazepam (1.5 vs. 3.3% in the placebo group); however, this difference was only statistically significant in patients with a cortical anterior circulation infarction (0.9% in the diazepam group vs. 4.6% in the placebo group, incidence rate ratio 0.20, 95% CI: 0.05–0.78, <i>p</i> = 0.02, NNT = 27). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> We found that a 3-day treatment with diazepam after acute cortical anterior circulation stroke prevents the occurrence of seizures in the first 3 months following stroke.


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 657-662 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shlomi Peretz ◽  
David Orion ◽  
David Last ◽  
Yael Mardor ◽  
Yotam Kimmel ◽  
...  

PurposeThe region defined as ‘at risk’ penumbra by current CT perfusion (CTP) maps is largely overestimated. We aimed to quantitate the portion of true ‘at risk’ tissue within CTP penumbra and to determine the parameter and threshold that would optimally distinguish it from false ‘at risk’ tissue, that is, benign oligaemia.MethodsAmong acute stroke patients evaluated by multimodal CT (NCCT/CTA/CTP) we identified those that had not undergone endovascular/thrombolytic treatment and had follow-up NCCT. Maps of absolute and relative CBF, CBV, MTT, TTP and Tmax as well as summary maps depicting infarcted and penumbral regions were generated using the Intellispace Portal (Philips Healthcare, Best, Netherlands). Follow-up CT was automatically co-registered to the CTP scan and the final infarct region was manually outlined. Perfusion parameters were systematically analysed – the parameter that resulted in the highest true-negative-rate (ie, proportion of benign oligaemia correctly identified) at a fixed, clinically relevant false-negative-rate (ie, proportion of ‘missed’ infarct) of 15%, was chosen as optimal. It was then re-applied to the CTP data to produce corrected perfusion maps.ResultsForty seven acute stroke patients met selection criteria. Average portion of infarcted tissue within CTP penumbra was 15%±2.2%. Relative CBF at a threshold of 0.65 yielded the highest average true-negative-rate (48%), enabling reduction of the false ‘at risk’ penumbral region by ~half.ConclusionsApplying a relative CBF threshold on relative MTT-based CTP maps can significantly reduce false ‘at risk’ penumbra. This step may help to avoid unnecessary endovascular interventions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naveed Akhtar ◽  
Mahesh Kate ◽  
Saadat Kamran ◽  
Rajvir Singh ◽  
Zain Bhutta ◽  
...  

Background: Sex differences may determine presentation, utility of treatment, rehabilitation, and occurrences of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in acute stroke (AS). Objective:The purpose of the study was to evaluate the short-term prognosis and long-term outcomes in MACEs in Qatari nationals admitted with AS. Methods: All AS patients admitted between January 2014 and February 2019 were included. We evaluated the preadmission modified Rankin scale (mRS) score, etiology and severity of symptoms, complications, and functional recovery at discharge and 90 days. MACEs were recorded for 5 years. Results: There were 891 admissions for AS (mean age 64.0 ± 14.2 years) (male, n = 519 [mean age ± SD 62.9 ± 14.1 years]; female, n = 372 [mean age ± SD 65.6 ± 14.2 years] p = 0.005). There were no differences in the preadmission mRS and severity of symptoms as measured on National Institute of Stroke Scale. At discharge, the outcome was better (mRS 0–2) in men (57.8 vs. 46.0%), p = 0.0001. This difference persisted at the 90-day follow-up (mRS 0–2, male 69.4% vs. female 53.2%, p = 0.0001). At the 90-day follow-up, more women died (total deaths 70; women 38 [10.2%] versus men 32 [6.2%], p = 0.03). MACEs occurred in 25.6% (133/519) males and 30.9% (115/372) females over the 5-year follow-up period (odds ratio 0.77, 95% confidence interval 0.57–1.0, p = 0.83). Conclusions: Female patients have a poor short-term outcome following an AS when corrected for age and comorbidities. While our study cannot explain the reasons for the discrepancies, higher poststroke depression and social isolation in women may be important contributory factors, and requires further studies are required to confirm these findings.


Stroke ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Corado ◽  
John Cashy ◽  
Abel Kho ◽  
Shyam Prabhakaran

Background/Objective: Stroke patients may be unable to provide medical history. Given the urgency of decision-making in acute stroke and importance of medication compliance post-stroke, prompt access to prior health records could reduce delays and errors. We hypothesized that stroke patients often have fragmented care in the Chicago Health Atlas. Methods: The Chicago Health Atlas encompasses clinical data on over 1 million unique patients within the 606xx ZIP codes of Chicago. A unique ID is created for each patient through the use of a secure one-way hash function. The creation of a unique ID enables longitudinal tracking of a patient’s care across participating sites. We identified all acute stroke admissions to any of 4 Chicago Health Atlas hospitals using ICD-9 codes (430-436) and searched for prior inpatient or outpatient encounters at any of those sites. Fragmented care was defined as having prior encounters at a site different from the site of stroke hospitalization. In the same cohort, we assessed post-hospitalization outpatient encounters within the Health Atlas. Results: There were 5,980 stroke patients with emergency department or inpatient visits between 2006 and 2010. Of these, 3,732 (62.4%, mean age 61.1 years, 47% black) had non-fragmented care prior to stroke while 2,066 (34.5%, mean age 58.1 years, 31% black) were completely new encounters (first-ever) in the Health Atlas and only 182 (3.0%, mean age 57.5 years, 59% black) had fragmented care. The percent with fragmented care increased from 1.3% in 2006 to 3.3% in 2010 (p<0.001 for trend). Rates of follow-up within following 12 months varied across the 3 groups (non-fragmented: 75% and fragmented: 64% vs. new: 51.4%; p<0.001). Conclusions: Two-thirds of stroke patients have previously accessed the health care system, with a majority having records at the same site of stroke hospitalization. However, 3% of patients have fragmented care, a rate that is increasing over time. Our estimate of fragmentation may be an underestimate since only 4 sites were included in this analysis. Having health information exchange may be valuable in reducing fragmentation of care for stroke patients.


Stroke ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel P Braga ◽  
Renato S Gonçalves ◽  
Luiz Eduardo G Betting ◽  
Marcos F Minicucci ◽  
Rodrigo Bazan ◽  
...  

Introduction: Cerebrovascular diseases are important causes of disability and death. Cardiovascular diseases and stroke share most of the risk factors and there is an intense relation between cerebral and cardiac homeostasis. Electrocardiogram can be used as measurement of neurogenic cardiac abnormalities as it has been suggested that lesions in the insula may result in abnormal electrocardiographic (ECG) findings and increased risk of sudden death. We assessed the hypothesis that electrocardiographic changes in acute stroke could predict neurological outcome at 90 days Methods: It was a longitudinal prospective study, with stroke patients admitted in an acute Stroke Unit from March 2012 to March 2013. We included all stroke patients within 24h of symptom onset and diagnosis confirmed with head CT scans. We excluded patients with history of cardiac surgery, myocardial infarct and pulmonary thromboembolism within 2 weeks before stroke. We collect data about clinical history and demography, admission NIHSS score and ECG. All patients were followed and in hospital complications, length of stay and modified Rankin score at 90 days were registered. Follow up visits were done by a Neurologist blinded to admission ECG findings; and ECG were analyzed by a Cardiologist blinded to clinical aspects. Statistical analysis was done with logistic regression with correction to gender, admission NIHSS, presence of clinical complications and blood pressure control. Results: Of 247 admitted to stroke unit, 112 fulfilled inclusion criteria and agreed to participate. It was observed positive correlation between ST segment abnormalities on admission ECG and cardiac complications during hospitalization (OR 4.73, IC(95%) 1.49 - 14.98, p: 0.008), worse neurologic outcome at 90 days measured by Rankin 3 - 6 (OR 3.4, IC(95%) 1.07-11.12, p: 0.038), and death at the end of follow up (OR 4.25, IC(95%) 1.17-15.49, p: 0.028). Conclusions: In conclusion, this study showed that ECG findings at admission, especially ST segment abnormalities, were correlated to higher chance of in hospital cardiac complications, worse neurologic outcomes and mortality at 90 days.


Stroke ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Margy E McCullough-Hicks ◽  
Soren Christensen ◽  
Aditya Srivatsan ◽  
Gregory W Albers ◽  
Maarten Lansberg

Background: Discerning signs of early infarct on the non-contrast CT (NCCT) can be difficult. To facilitate interpretation of the NCCT we previously developed a technique to generate symmetry ratio maps of the NCCT (rNCCT maps) on which subtle (≥5%) differences in density between symmetric brain regions are enhanced. We sought to validate the rNCCT map against other measures of early infarction in a large cohort. Methods: rNCCT maps were generated for 146 ischemic stroke patients. We assessed how often a neurologist’s interpretation of the NCCT was changed when provided with the rNCCT map. The neurologist was blinded to CTP and DWI but was given the infarct hemisphere. In addition, using the 24-hour DWI as the gold standard, we assessed the sensitivity, specificity and volumetric accuracy of the rNCCT-defined infarct core and compared this to the test characteristics of CTP-defined infarct core (CBF<38% threshold). Results: Addition of rNCCT overlay map changed clinician’s initial read 64.4% of the time (95% CI 56-72%); the rNCCT identified new areas of ischemia not appreciated on blinded review 86.2% of the time (95% CI 78-92%) and in 35.1% helped rule out early ischemia where the reader was unsure of its presence (95% CI 26-45%). In the 53 patients with reperfusion and follow-up MRI, specificity of rNCCT for final lesion volume was 99.5% for rNCCT [98.5-99.8%] vs. 99.8% [IQR 98.8-99.9%] for CTP (P=0.08). Sensitivity for rNCCT was 19.9% [7.1-28.1%] vs. 17.5% [4.7-32.2%] for CTP (P=0.56). Conclusions: This study validates the rNCCT map for detection of early ischemic changes. It is more quantitative and objective than a clinician’s read of the NCCT alone. The sensitivity and specificity for detecting early ischemic changes on rNCCT were comparable to those achieved with CTP. This indicates that the rNCCT could be a valuable tool in the evaluation of acute stroke patients.


Stroke ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay Olson-Mack ◽  
Jacqueline Reardon ◽  
Elton Hedden ◽  
Rowena Carino ◽  
Cynthia VanWyk ◽  
...  

Background and Purpose: Emergency Department (ED) physicians often manage acute stroke patients without Neurology support at the bedside. Without guidance, they are left to rapidly assess, diagnose and treat acute stroke patients with minimal follow up on treatment effectiveness and patient outcomes. We hypothesized that introducing a Nurse Practitioner (NP) as Stroke Champion into an ED that did not have access to in-house Neurology would drive awareness of acute stroke care, and positively change practice to decrease door to needle times. Methods: The NP started in the 24-bed ED in June 2012. The average daily census of the ED for 2012 was 135 patients per day, and from January to June 2012, ED physicians initiated 46 stroke codes. Although Neurologists were available via telephone, ED physicians were left to accurately assess and initiate stroke codes, determine eligibility, and order IV tPA. In collaboration with the Stroke Medical Director, the Stroke NP conducted multiple education sessions regarding timing metrics in acute stroke care and door to tPA goals with ED clinicians, radiology, lab and pharmacy departments. Data was shared with stakeholders monthly to drive performance improvement initiatives. Results: Rapid improvements were made in all metrics. Mean time to CT first image improved by 19.3 minutes (37.3 to 18.0 minutes) in 6 months, and to 14.7 minutes in 1 year. CT result mean turn-around-time decreased by 19 minutes (from 54.0 to 29.1 minutes) in the first 6 months, and by 22.6 minutes (from 54.0 to 26.0 minutes) at 12 months. Likewise, laboratory result turn-around-times dramatically decreased by a mean of 15.9 minutes (54.4 to 38.5 minutes) over 6 months, and by a mean of 23 minutes (54.4 to 31.0 minutes) within 12 months. IV tPA treatment rates increased from 5% to 14.4% of all ischemic strokes. Door to IV tPA treatment times decreased by a mean of 33.9 minutes (104.5 to 70.6 minutes) in 6 months, and by 46.8 minutes (from 104.5 to 57.7 minutes) within the year. Conclusions: Introducing an NP into the ED to serve as Stroke Champion can provide added support to improve care of acute stroke patients by expediting assessment and treatment.


2005 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 211-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yair Lampl ◽  
Mordechai Lorberboym ◽  
Ronit Gilad ◽  
Mona Boaz ◽  
Menachem Sadeh

Auditory hallucinations are uncommon phenomena which can be directly caused by acute stroke, mostly described after lesions of the brain stem, very rarely reported after cortical strokes. The purpose of this study is to determine the frequency of this phenomenon. In a cross sectional study, 641 stroke patients were followed in the period between 1996–2000. Each patient underwent comprehensive investigation and follow-up. Four patients were found to have post cortical stroke auditory hallucinations. All of them occurred after an ischemic lesion of the right temporal lobe. After no more than four months, all patients were symptom-free and without therapy. The fact the auditory hallucinations may be of cortical origin must be taken into consideration in the treatment of stroke patients. The phenomenon may be completely reversible after a couple of months.


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