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Background and ObjectivesTo study the relationship between the presence of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) and acute hematoma characteristics among patients with primary intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).MethodsWe pooled individual patient data from the Antihypertensive Treatment of Acute Cerebral Hemorrhage 2 (ATACH-2) trial and the Minimally Invasive Surgery Plus Alteplase for Intracerebral Hemorrhage Evacuation phase 3 (MISTIE III) trial. We included individuals with a brain MRI scan. Exposure was the presence of a CMB. The coprimary outcomes were admission ICH volume and hematoma expansion. Mixed-effects linear and logistic regression models were used, with demographics and comorbid conditions considered fixed effects and the study cohort treated as a random effect. Additional analyses assessed the relationship between CMB topography and number and hematoma characteristics.ResultsOf the 1,499 patients with ICH enrolled in the parent trials, 466 (31.1%) were included in this analysis, and 231 (49.6%) patients had CMBs. In adjusted models, presence of CMBs was associated with smaller ICH volume (β = −0.26, 95% confidence interval [CI] −0.44 to −0.08) and lower odds of hematoma expansion (odds ratio 0.65, 95% CI 0.40–0.95; p = 0.04). The strength of association between CMBs and hematoma characteristics increased with increasing number of CMBs. The location of the CMBs and the severity of leukoaraiosis did not modify these results.DiscussionIn a pooled cohort of patients with ICH, our results are consistent with the hypothesis that more severe underlying small vessel disease, as represented by CMBs, leads to smaller baseline hematoma volumes and reduced hematoma expansion. Underlying cerebral small vessel disease may be of prognostic significance after ICH.Trial Registration InformationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01176565 and NCT01827046.Classification of EvidenceThis study provides Class II evidence that the presence of microbleeds on MRI is associated with a smaller ICH volume at presentation and a lower rate of hematoma expansion on follow-up imaging.

In “Severe hyperhomocysteinemia manifesting as moyamoya vasculopathy and Henoch-Schonlein purpura,” Cho et al. described a 37-year-old woman with a history of Henoch-Schonlein purpura with leukocytoclastic vasculitis and immune mesangiopathic glomerulonephritis who presented with recurrent ischemic infarcts and was found to have hyperhomocysteinemia due to homozygous cystathionine β-synthase (CBS), then developed moyamoya vasculopathy requiring a direct bypass on the left and an encephalo-duro-arterio-synangiosis procedure on the right. The authors suggested that the cerebral, skin, and renal changes are all the result of CBS deficiency. In review of this case, Drs. Gaillard and Arquizan postulate that the underlying mechanism was likely a systemic vasculitis with CNS involvement and question whether (1) inflammatory markers, autoantibodies, and serologies were checked in serum or CSF, (2) a brain biopsy was obtained, or (3) a trial of steroids or immunosuppressants was given. Cho et al. respond that (1) serial cerebral angiograms showed progressive intracranial stenosis consistent with moyamoya vasculopathy, not with vasculitis, and (2) CSF showed no pleocytosis, and inflammatory and infectious tests were negative. They note that there was no recurrence of skin or renal events despite the absence of systemic therapy, making the diagnosis of secondary CNS vasculitis unlikely. While both Cho et al. and Drs. Gaillard and Arquizan agree that the high-resolution MRI was suggestive of vasculitis, Cho et al. believe it is consistent with a moyamoya-like vasculopathy and that this case represents a new phenotype of CBS deficiency.

ObjectiveTo determine the incidence and predictors of acute cerebral ischemia and neurologic deterioration in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients after an institutional protocol change in systolic blood pressure (SBP) target from MethodsWe retrospectively compared persons admitted with primary ICH before and after a protocol change in SBP target from ResultsOf 286 persons with primary ICH, 119 underwent MRI and met inclusion criteria. Sixty-two had a target SBP p < 0.001) and lower minimum SBP over 72 hours (106 vs 112 mm Hg, p = 0.02). Acute cerebral ischemia was more frequent in group 2 than in group 1 (32% vs 16%; p = 0.047) as was acute neurologic deterioration (19% vs 5%; p = 0.022). A minimum SBP ≤120 mm Hg over 72 hours was associated with cerebral ischemia, while no patient with a minimum SBP ≥130 mm Hg had cerebral ischemia. Acute cerebral ischemia was significantly associated with worse discharge NIH Stroke Scale score, while SBP target was not.ConclusionsIntensive lowering of SBP

Cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) deficiency is an autosomal recessive disorder affecting homocysteine metabolism resulting in hyperhomocysteinemia and homocysteinuria. A well-known complication of CBS deficiency is premature atherosclerosis and thromboembolic events.1 Specifically, it is associated with an increased risk of early ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction.

Objective:In a systematic review, we compared ratio of new periprocedural radiographic brain ischemia (RBI) to the number of strokes and TIAs among patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and carotid artery stenting (CAS).Methods:We searched 5 databases for entries related to brain ischemia in CEA or CAS from inception through September 2015. We included articles with CEA or CAS and systematic performance of preprocedural and postprocedural brain MRI and reporting of RBI and stroke incidence. We calculated a symptomatic risk ratio of number of strokes and TIAs to RBI. Random effects models were used.Results:Fifty-nine studies (5,431 participants) met the inclusion criteria. There were 22 cohorts in CEA, 34 in CAS with distal protection, 8 in CAS with proximal protection, 9 in CAS without protection, and 9 in CAS with unspecified devices. Overall, 30.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 26.6%–34.7%) had RBI, while 3.2% (95% CI 2.6%–3.8%) had clinical strokes or TIAs, with a stroke and TIA to RBI weighted ratio of 0.18 (95% CI 0.15–0.22). CEA had lower incidence of RBI compared to CAS (13.0% vs 37.4%) and also lower number of strokes and TIAs (1.8% vs 4.1%). The stroke and TIA to RBI ratio did not differ across 5 different types of carotid interventions (p = 0.58).Conclusions:One in 5 persons with periprocedural radiographic brain ischemia during CEA and CAS had strokes and TIAs. The stable ratio of stroke and TIA to radiographic ischemia suggests that MRI ischemia could serve as a surrogate measure of periprocedural risk.

Objective:To compare the times to evaluation and thrombolytic treatment of patients treated with a telemedicine-enabled mobile stroke treatment unit (MSTU) vs those among patients brought to the emergency department (ED) via a traditional ambulance.Methods:We implemented a MSTU with telemedicine at our institution starting July 18, 2014. A vascular neurologist evaluated each patient via telemedicine and a neuroradiologist and vascular neurologist remotely assessed images obtained by the MSTU CT. Data were entered in a prospective registry. The evaluation and treatment of the first 100 MSTU patients (July 18, 2014–November 1, 2014) was compared to a control group of 53 patients brought to the ED via a traditional ambulance in 2014. Times were expressed as medians with their interquartile ranges.Results:Patient and stroke severity characteristics were similar between 100 MSTU and 53 ED control patients (initial NIH Stroke Scale score 6 vs 7, p = 0.679). There was a significant reduction of median alarm-to-CT scan completion times (33 minutes MSTU vs 56 minutes controls, p < 0.0001), median alarm-to-thrombolysis times (55.5 minutes MSTU vs 94 minutes controls, p < 0.0001), median door-to-thrombolysis times (31.5 minutes MSTU vs 58 minutes controls, p = 0.0012), and symptom-onset-to-thrombolysis times (97 minutes MSTU vs 122.5 minutes controls, p = 0.0485). Sixteen patients evaluated on MSTU received thrombolysis, 25% of whom received it within 60 minutes of symptom onset.Conclusion:Compared with the traditional ambulance model, telemedicine-enabled ambulance-based thrombolysis resulted in significantly decreased time to imaging and treatment.

A 36-year-old woman with Loeys-Dietz syndrome presented with left eye ptosis, anisocoria, and shoulder pain. The diagnosis of left-sided Horner syndrome was made (figure 1). The patient had a known left subclavian artery aneurysm with percutaneous stent graft placement. CT angiography revealed a large left subclavian aneurysm sac, consistent with endoleak type I (figure 2). Horner syndrome and shoulder pain improved following common carotid to axillary artery bypass in addition to thoracic endovascular aortic repair surgery.