scholarly journals Left Atrial Enlargement on Non-Gated CT Is Associated with Large Vessel Occlusion in Acute Ischaemic Stroke

2021 ◽  
pp. 87-91
Author(s):  
Waleed Butt ◽  
Permesh Singh Dhillon ◽  
Robert Lenthall ◽  
Luqman Malik ◽  
Wazim Izzath ◽  
...  

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Recent reports have suggested that atrial fibrillation (AF) is more prevalent in the large vessel occlusion (LVO) subgroup of acute ischaemic stroke patients. Given the association between left atrial enlargement (LAE) and AF, we sought to evaluate the feasibility of assessing LAE on non-gated CT and its association with LVO in the hyperacute stroke setting. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We analysed our prospectively collected database that included all stroke patients referred for consideration of endovascular treatment between April 14, 2020, and May 21, 2020. During this period, a CT chest was included in our regional stroke protocol to aid triage of patients suspected for COVID-19 from which cardiac measurements were obtained. Patients were dichotomized into LVO and no-LVO groups, and LA measurements were trichotomized into normal, borderline, and enlarged. Univariate analyses were performed between groups. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Of the included 38 patients, 21 were categorized as LVO and 17 as no LVO. There was a statistically significant association between LAE and LVO (<i>p</i> = 0.028). No significant difference was demonstrated between groups for the baseline AF and other clinical characteristics, except for baseline NIHSS (<i>p</i> = 0.0005). There was excellent inter- and intra-rater reliability (ICC = 0.969) for LA measurements. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Our study provides preliminary data to suggest LAE is more prevalent in the LVO stroke subgroup at presentation and can be reliably assessed on non-gated CT in the hyperacute setting. These findings have potential implications for stratifying secondary management and may prompt a more rigorous pursuit of occult AF or other cardiac causes of stroke.

Stroke ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rocco J Cannistraro ◽  
Thomas G Brott ◽  
James F Meschia ◽  
Benjamin H Eidelman ◽  
Kevin M Barrett ◽  
...  

Introduction: Left atrial enlargement (LAE) is associated with atrial fibrillation, a frequent cause of large vessel occlusion (LVO) leading to ischemic stroke. Leptomeningeal collaterals protect tissue from ischemia, but the association between collaterals and structural heart disease is not well described. We aim to investigate the association between LAE and cerebral collaterals during acute LVO when microvasculature, vasodilation, and chronotropic competence are critically important. Hypothesis: Left atrial enlargement is associated with poor collaterals. Methods: We reviewed consecutive patients presenting with middle cerebral and internal carotid LVO who underwent thrombectomy from 2012 to 2017. Patients with CT angiogram of the head and echocardiogram were included. Poor collaterals were defined as ≤ 50% filling on CT angiogram. LAE was defined as left atrial volume index ≥ 35 mL/m 2 . Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between LAE and poor collaterals with adjustment for age and hypertension. Results: There were 128 eligible patients. The mean age was 68± 15 years, median NIHSS was 17, and 51 (39.8%) had LAE. Baseline characteristics are described in the table. Poor collaterals were observed in 50 (39%) patients. Patients with LAE were more likely to have poor collaterals compared to those with normal left atrial size (52.9% vs. 29.9%, p=0.009). After adjusting for age and hypertension, a trend towards association remained (OR 2.00, p=0.089). Conclusion: Our results indicate that patients with LVO and LAE were more likely to have poor collaterals. Further research is warranted to determine the cause of the association. One possibility is shared pathophysiology affecting both cardiac and cerebral vasculature such as microvascular disease or endothelial dysfunction. Alternatively, structural heart disease causing chronotropic incompetence may lead to poor collateral filling.


2021 ◽  
pp. 197140092110091
Author(s):  
Hanna Styczen ◽  
Matthias Gawlitza ◽  
Nuran Abdullayev ◽  
Alex Brehm ◽  
Carmen Serna-Candel ◽  
...  

Background Data on outcome of endovascular treatment in patients with acute ischaemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion suffering from intravenous thrombolysis-associated intracranial haemorrhage prior to mechanical thrombectomy remain scarce. Addressing this subject, we report our multicentre experience. Methods A retrospective analysis of consecutive acute ischaemic stroke patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy due to large vessel occlusion despite the pre-interventional occurrence of intravenous thrombolysis-associated intracranial haemorrhage was performed at five tertiary care centres between January 2010–September 2020. Baseline demographics, aetiology of stroke and intracranial haemorrhage, angiographic outcome assessed by the Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction score and clinical outcome evaluated by the modified Rankin Scale at 90 days were recorded. Results In total, six patients were included in the study. Five individuals demonstrated cerebral intraparenchymal haemorrhage on pre-interventional imaging; in one patient additional subdural haematoma was observed and one patient suffered from isolated subarachnoid haemorrhage. All patients except one were treated by the ‘drip-and-ship’ paradigm. Successful reperfusion was achieved in 4/6 (67%) individuals. In 5/6 (83%) patients, the pre-interventional intracranial haemorrhage had aggravated in post-interventional computed tomography with space-occupying effect. Overall, five patients had died during the hospital stay. The clinical outcome of the survivor was modified Rankin Scale=4 at 90 days follow-up. Conclusion Mechanical thrombectomy in patients with intravenous thrombolysis-associated intracranial haemorrhage is technically feasible. The clinical outcome of this subgroup of stroke patients, however, appears to be devastating with high mortality and only carefully selected patients might benefit from endovascular treatment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (9) ◽  
pp. 731.e21-731.e25 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Griffin ◽  
D. Herlihy ◽  
R. Hayden ◽  
M. Murphy ◽  
J. Walsh ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 793-799
Author(s):  
Nicholas JH Ngiam ◽  
Benjamin YQ Tan ◽  
Ching-Hui Sia ◽  
Bernard PL Chan ◽  
Gopinathan Anil ◽  
...  

Background and aim Bi-directional feedback mechanisms exist between the heart and brain, which have been implicated in heart failure. We postulate that aortic stenosis may alter cerebral haemodynamics and influence functional outcomes after endovascular thrombectomy for acute ischaemic stroke. We compared clinical characteristics, echocardiographic profile and outcomes in patients with or without aortic stenosis that underwent endovascular thrombectomy for large vessel occlusion acute ischaemic stroke. Methods Consecutive acute ischaemic stroke patients with anterior and posterior circulation large vessel occlusion (internal carotid artery, middle cerebral artery and basilar artery) who underwent endovascular thrombectomy were studied. Patients were divided into those with significant aortic stenosis (aortic valve area <1.5 cm2) and without. Univariate and multivariate analyses were employed to compare and determine predictors of functional outcomes measured by modified Rankin scale at three months. Results We identified 26 (8.5%) patients with significant aortic stenosis. These patients were older (median age 76 (interquartile range 68–84) vs. 67 (interquartile range 56–75) years, p = 0.001), but similar in terms of medical comorbidities and echocardiographic profile. Rates of successful recanalisation (73.1% vs. 78.0%), symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage (7.7% and 7.9%) and mortality (11.5% vs. 12.6%) were similar. Significant aortic stenosis was independently associated with poorer functional outcome (modified Rankin scale >2) at three months (adjusted odds ratio 2.7, 95% confidence interval 1.1–7.5, p = 0.048), after adjusting for age, door-to-puncture times, stroke severity and rates of successful recanalisation. Conclusion In acute ischaemic stroke patients managed with endovascular thrombectomy, significant aortic stenosis is associated with poor functional outcome despite comparable recanalisation rates. Larger cohort studies are needed to explore this relationship further.


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-85
Author(s):  
Ahmad Sweid ◽  
Batoul Hammoud ◽  
Sunidhi Ramesh ◽  
Daniella Wong ◽  
Tyler D Alexander ◽  
...  

Care for acute ischaemic stroke is one of the most rapidly evolving fields due to the robust outcomes achieved by mechanical thrombectomy. Large vessel occlusion (LVO) accounts for up to 38% of acute ischaemic stroke and comes with devastating outcomes for patients, families and society in the pre-intervention era. A paradigm shift and a breakthrough brought mechanical thrombectomy back into the spotlight for acute ischaemic stroke; this was because five randomised controlled trials from several countries concluded that mechanical thrombectomy for acute stroke offered overwhelming benefits. This review article will present a comprehensive overview of LVO management, techniques and devices used, and the future of stroke therapy. In addition, we review our institution experience of mechanical thrombectomy for posterior and distal circulation occlusion.


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