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Background: Data on the impact of competing stroke etiologies in stroke patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are scarce., Methods: We used prospectively obtained data from an observational registry (Novel-Oral-Anticoagulants-in-Ischemic-Stroke-Patients-(NOACISP)-LONGTERM) of consecutive AF-stroke patients treated with oral anticoagulants. We compared the frequency of (i) the composite outcome of recurrent ischemic stroke (IS), intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) or all-cause death as well as (ii) recurrent IS alone among AF-stroke patients with versus without competing stroke etiologies according to the TOAST classification. We performed cox proportional hazards regression modeling adjusted for potential confounders. Furthermore, the etiology of recurrent IS was assessed., Results: Among 907 patients (median age 81, 45.6% female), 184 patients (20.3%) had competing etiologies, while 723 (79.7%) had cardioembolism as the only plausible etiology. During 1587 patient-years of follow-up, patients with additional large-artery atherosclerosis had higher rates of the composite outcome (adjusted HR [95% CI] 1.64 [1.11, 2.40], p  = 0.017) and recurrent IS (aHR 2.96 [1.65, 5.35 ], p  < 0.001), compared to patients with cardioembolism as the only plausible etiology. Overall 71 patients had recurrent IS (7.8%) of whom 26.7% had a different etiology than the index IS with large-artery-atherosclerosis (19.7%) being the most common non-cardioembolic cause., Conclusion: In stroke patients with AF, causes other than cardioembolism as competing etiologies were common in index or recurrent IS. Concomitant presence of large-artery-atherosclerosis seems to indicate an increased risk for recurrences suggesting that stroke preventive means might be more effective if they also address competing stroke etiologies in AF-stroke patients., Clinical Trial Registration: NCT03826927.

Purpose: The Thrombolysis in Ischemic Stroke Patients (TRISP) collaboration was a concerted effort initiated in 2010 with the purpose to address relevant research questions about the effectiveness and safety of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT). The collaboration also aims to prospectively collect data on patients undergoing endovascular treatment (EVT) and hence the name of the collaboration was changed from TRISP to EVA-TRISP. The methodology of the former TRISP registry for patients treated with IVT has already been published. This paper focuses on describing the EVT part of the registry., Participants: All centres committed to collecting predefined variables on consecutive patients prospectively. We aim for accuracy and completeness of the data and to adapt local databases to investigate novel research questions. Herein, we introduce the methodology of a recently constructed academic investigator-initiated open collaboration EVT registry built as an extension of an existing IVT registry in patients with acute ischaemic stroke (AIS)., Findings to Date: Currently, the EVA-TRISP network includes 20 stroke centres with considerable expertise in EVT and maintenance of high-quality hospital-based registries. Following several successful randomised controlled trials (RCTs), many important clinical questions remain unanswered in the (EVT) field and some of them will unlikely be investigated in future RCTs. Prospective registries with high-quality data on EVT-treated patients may help answering some of these unanswered issues, especially on safety and efficacy of EVT in specific patient subgroups., Future Plans: This collaborative effort aims at addressing clinically important questions on safety and efficacy of EVT in conditions not covered by RCTs. The TRISP registry generated substantial novel data supporting stroke physicians in their daily decision making considering IVT candidate patients. While providing observational data on EVT in daily clinical practice, our future findings may likewise be hypothesis generating for future research as well as for quality improvement (on EVT). The collaboration welcomes participation of further centres willing to fulfill the commitment and the outlined requirements., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background Prehospital delay reduces the proportion of patients with stroke treated with recanalization therapies. We aimed to identify novel and modifiable risk factors for prehospital delay. Methods and Results We included patients with an ischemic stroke confirmed by diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, symptom onset within 24 hours and hospitalized in the Stroke Center of the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland. Trained study nurses interviewed patients and proxies along a standardized questionnaire. Prehospital delay was defined as >4.5 hours between stroke onset-or time point of wake-up-and admission. Overall, 336 patients were enrolled. Prehospital delay was observed in 140 patients (42%). The first healthcare professionals to be alarmed were family doctors for 29% of patients (97/336), and a quarter of these patients had a baseline National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score of 4 or higher. The main modifiable risk factor for prehospital delay was a face-to-face visit to the family doctor (adjusted odds ratio, 4.19; 95% CI, 1.85-9.46). Despite transport by emergency medical services being associated with less prehospital delay (adjusted odds ratio, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.24-0.71), a minority of patients (39%) who first called their family doctor were transported by emergency medical services to the hospital. The second risk factor was lack of awareness of stroke symptoms (adjusted odds ratio, 4.14; 95% CI, 2.36-7.24). Conclusions Almost 1 in 3 patients with a diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging-confirmed ischemic stroke first called the family doctor practice. Face-to-face visits to the family doctor quadrupled the odds of prehospital delay. Efforts to reduce prehospital delay should address family doctors and their staffs as important partners in the prehospital pathway. Clinical Trial Registration URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02798770.

Background and Purpose- We sought to explore the effect of genetic imbalance on functional outcome after ischemic stroke (IS). Methods- Copy number variation was identified in high-density single-nucleotide polymorphism microarray data of IS patients from the CADISP (Cervical Artery Dissection and Ischemic Stroke Patients) and SiGN (Stroke Genetics Network)/GISCOME (Genetics of Ischaemic Stroke Functional Outcome) networks. Genetic imbalance, defined as total number of protein-coding genes affected by copy number variations in an individual, was compared between patients with favorable (modified Rankin Scale score of 0-2) and unfavorable (modified Rankin Scale score of ≥3) outcome after 3 months. Subgroup analyses were confined to patients with imbalance affecting ohnologs-a class of dose-sensitive genes, or to those with imbalance not affecting ohnologs. The association of imbalance with outcome was analyzed by logistic regression analysis, adjusted for age, sex, stroke subtype, stroke severity, and ancestry. Results- The study sample comprised 816 CADISP patients (age 44.2±10.3 years) and 2498 SiGN/GISCOME patients (age 67.7±14.2 years). Outcome was unfavorable in 122 CADISP and 889 SiGN/GISCOME patients. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that increased genetic imbalance was associated with less favorable outcome in both samples (CADISP: P=0.0007; odds ratio=0.89; 95% CI, 0.82-0.95 and SiGN/GISCOME: P=0.0036; odds ratio=0.94; 95% CI, 0.91-0.98). The association was independent of age, sex, stroke severity on admission, stroke subtype, and ancestry. On subgroup analysis, imbalance affecting ohnologs was associated with outcome (CADISP: odds ratio=0.88; 95% CI, 0.80-0.95 and SiGN/GISCOME: odds ratio=0.93; 95% CI, 0.89-0.98) whereas imbalance without ohnologs lacked such an association. Conclusions- Increased genetic imbalance was associated with poorer functional outcome after IS in both study populations. Subgroup analysis revealed that this association was driven by presence of ohnologs in the respective copy number variations, suggesting a causal role of the deleterious effects of genetic imbalance.

Background and Purpose: The aim was to assess the feasibility and safety of fast-track hospitalizations in a selected cohort of patients with stroke., Methods: Patients hospitalized at the Stroke Center of the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland, with an acute ischaemic stroke confirmed on magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted imaging were included. Neurological deficits of the included patients were non-disabling, i.e. not interfering with activities of daily living and compatible with a direct discharge home. Patients with premorbid disability were excluded. All patients were admitted to the Stroke Center for ≥24 h. Two study groups were compared - fast-track hospitalizations (≤72 h) and long-term hospitalizations (>72 h). The primary end-point was a composite of any unplanned rehospitalization for any reason within 3 months since hospital discharge and a modified Rankin Scale 3-6 at 3 months. Adjustment for confounders was done using the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTW)., Results: Amongst the 521 patients who met the inclusion criteria, fast-track hospitalizations were performed in 79 patients (15%). In the fast-track group, seven patients (8.9%) met the primary end-point, compared to 37 (8.4%) in the long-term group [odds ratio (OR) 1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.42-2.34, P = 0.88]. After weighting for IPTW, the odds of the primary end-point remained similar between the two arms (OR IPTW 1.27, 95% CI 0.51-3.16, P = 0.61). The costs of fast-track hospitalizations were lower, on average, by $4994., Conclusions: Fast-track hospitalizations including a full workup proved to be feasible, showed no increased risk and were less expensive than long-term hospitalizations., (© 2018 EAN.)

Background and Purpose: We investigated whether university education is more likely in cervical artery dissection (CeAD)-patients than in age- and sex-matched patients with ischemic stroke (IS) due to other causes (non-CeAD-IS-patients)., Methods: Patients from the Cervical Artery Dissection and Ischemic Stroke Patients study with documented self-reported profession before onset of IS due to CeAD (n = 715) or non-CeAD causes (n = 631) were analyzed. In the reported profession, the absence or presence of university education was assessed. Professions could be rated as academic or non-academic in 518 CeAD and 456 non-CeAD patients. Clinical outcome at 3 months was defined as excellent if modified Rankin Scale was 0-1., Results: University education was more frequent in CeAD-patients (100 of 518, 19.3%) than in non-CeAD-IS-patients (61 of 456, 13.4%, p = 0.008). CeAD-patients with and without university education differed significantly with regard to smoking (39 vs. 57%, p = 0.001) and excellent outcome (80 vs. 66%, p = 0.004). In logistic regression analysis, university education was associated with excellent outcome in CeAD-patients (OR 2.44, 95% CI 1.37-5.38) independent of other outcome predictors such as age (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.84-0.99), NIHSS (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.76-0.84) and local signs (OR 2.77, 95% CI 1.37-5.57)., Conclusion: We observed a higher rate of university education in patients with CeAD compared with non-CeAD patients in our study population. University education was associated with favorable outcome in CeAD-patients. The mechanism behind this association remains unclear.

Objective: Information about rivaroxaban plasma level (RivLev) may guide treatment decisions in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) taking rivaroxaban., Methods: In a multicenter registry-based study (Novel Oral Anticoagulants in Stroke Patients collaboration; ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02353585) of patients with stroke while taking rivaroxaban, we compared RivLev in patients with AIS and ICH. We determined how many AIS patients had RivLev ≤ 100ng/ml, indicating possible eligibility for thrombolysis, and how many ICH patients had RivLev ≥ 75ng/ml, making them possibly eligible for the use of specific reversal agents. We explored factors associated with RivLev (Spearman correlation, regression models) and studied the sensitivity and specificity of international normalized ratio (INR) thresholds to substitute RivLev using cross tables and receiver operating characteristic curves., Results: Among 241 patients (median age = 80 years, interquartile range [IQR] = 73-84; median time from onset to admission = 2 hours, IQR = 1-4.5 hours; median RivLev = 89ng/ml, IQR = 31-194), 190 had AIS and 51 had ICH. RivLev was similar in AIS patients (82ng/ml, IQR = 30-202) and ICH patients (102ng/ml, IQR = 51-165; p = 0.24). Trough RivLev (≤137ng/ml) occurred in 126/190 (66.3%) AIS and 34/51 (66.7%) ICH patients. Among AIS patients, 108/190 (56.8%) had RivLev ≤ 100ng/ml. In ICH patients, 33/51 (64.7%) had RivLev ≥ 75ng/ml. RivLev was associated with rivaroxaban dosage, and inversely with renal function and time since last intake (each p < 0.05). INR ≤ 1.0 had a specificity of 98.9% and a sensitivity of 25.7% to predict RivLev ≤ 100ng/ml. INR ≥ 1.4 had a sensitivity of 59.3% and specificity of 90.1% to predict RivLev ≥ 75ng/ml., Interpretation: RivLev did not differ between patients with AIS and ICH. Half of the patients with AIS under rivaroxaban had a RivLev low enough to consider thrombolysis. In ICH patients, two-thirds had a RivLev high enough to meet the eligibility for the use of a specific reversal agent. INR thresholds perform poorly to inform treatment decisions in individual patients. Ann Neurol 2018;83:451-459., (© 2018 American Neurological Association.)

Background and Purpose: Serum neurofilaments are markers of axonal injury. We addressed their diagnostic and prognostic role in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and transient ischemic attack (TIA)., Methods: Nested within a prospective cohort study, we compared levels of serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) drawn within 24 h from symptom onset in patients with AIS or TIA. Patients without magnetic resonance imaging on admission were excluded. We assessed whether sNfL was associated with: (i) clinical severity on admission, (ii) diagnosis of AIS vs. TIA, (iii) infarct size on admission magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted imaging (MR-DWI) and (iv) functional outcome at 3 months., Results: We analyzed 504 patients with AIS and 111 patients with TIA. On admission, higher National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores were associated with higher sNfL: NIHSS score < 7, 13.1 pg/mL [interquartile range (IQR), 5.3-27.8]; NIHSS score 7-15, 16.7 pg/mL (IQR, 7.4-34.9); and NIHSS score > 15, 21.0 pg/mL (IQR, 9.3-40.4) (P = 0.01). Compared with AIS, patients with TIA had lower sNfL levels [9.0 pg/mL (95% confidence interval, 4.0-19.0) vs. 16.0 pg/mL (95% confidence interval, 7.3-34.4), P < 0.001], also after adjusting for age and NIHSS score (P = 0.006). Among patients with AIS, infarct size on admission MR-DWI was not associated with sNfL, either in univariate analysis (P = 0.15) or after adjusting for age and NIHSS score on admission (P = 0.56). Functional outcome 3 months after stroke was not associated with sNfL after adjusting for established predictors., Conclusions: In conclusion, among patients admitted within 24 h of AIS or TIA onset, admission sNfL levels were associated with clinical severity on admission and TIA diagnosis, but not with infarct size on MR-DWI acquired on admission or functional outcome at 3 months., (© 2017 EAN.)

Background and Purpose: Women have a worse outcome after stroke compared with men, although in intravenous thrombolysis (IVT)-treated patients, women seem to benefit more. Besides sex differences, age has also a possible effect on functional outcome. The interaction of sex on the functional outcome in IVT-treated patients in relation to age remains complex. The purpose of this study was to compare outcome after IVT between women and men with regard to age in a large multicenter European cohort reflecting daily clinical practice of acute stroke care., Methods: Data were obtained from IVT registries of 12 European tertiary hospitals. The primary outcome was poor functional outcome, defined as a modified Rankin scale score of 3 to 6 at 3 months. We stratified outcome by age in decades. Safety measures were symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage and mortality at 3 months., Results: In this cohort, 9495 patients were treated with IVT, and 4170 (43.9%) were women with a mean age of 71.9 years. After adjustments for baseline differences, female sex remained associated with poor functional outcome (odds ratio, 1.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.31). There was no association between sex and functional outcome when data were stratified by age. Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage rate was similar in both sexes (adjusted odds ratio, 0.93; 95% confidence interval, 0.73-1.19), whereas mortality was lower among women (adjusted odds ratio, 0.83; 95% confidence interval, 0.70-0.99)., Conclusions: In this large cohort of IVT-treated patients, women more often had poor functional outcome compared with men. This difference was not dependent on age., (© 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.)

Background and Purpose: The impact of body mass index (BMI) on outcome in stroke patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) was investigated., Methods: In a multicentre IVT-register-based observational study, BMI with (i) poor 3-month outcome (i.e. modified Rankin Scale scores 3-6), (ii) death and (iii) symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage (sICH) based on criteria of the ECASS II trial was compared. BMI was used as a continuous and categorical variable distinguishing normal weight (reference group 18.5-24.9 kg/m 2 ) from underweight (<18.5 kg/m 2 ), overweight (25-29.9 kg/m 2 ) and obese (≥30 kg/m 2 ) patients. Univariable and multivariable regression analyses with adjustments for age and stroke severity were done and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals [OR (95% CI)] were calculated., Results: Of 1798 patients, 730 (40.6%) were normal weight, 55 (3.1%) were underweight, 717 (39.9%) overweight and 295 (16.4%) obese. Poor outcome occurred in 38.1% of normal weight patients and did not differ significantly from underweight (45.5%), overweight (36.1%) and obese (32.5%) patients. The same was true for death (9.5% vs. 14.5%, 9.6% and 7.5%) and sICH (3.9% vs. 5.5%, 4.3%, 2.7%). Neither in univariable nor in multivariable analyses did the risks of poor outcome, death or sICH differ significantly between BMI groups. BMI as a continuous variable was not associated with poor outcome, death or sICH in unadjusted [OR (95% CI) 0.99 (0.97-1.01), 0.98 (0.95-1.02), 0.98 (0.94-1.04)] or adjusted analyses [OR (95% CI) 1.01 (0.98-1.03), 0.99 (0.95-1.05), 1.01 (0.97-1.05)], respectively., Conclusion: In this largest study to date, investigating the impact of BMI in IVT-treated stroke patients, BMI had no prognostic meaning with regard to 3-month functional outcome, death or occurrence of sICH., (© 2016 EAN.)

Background and Purpose: Intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) within 4.5 hours from symptom onset improves functional outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Its use in patients with previous stroke within the preceding 3 months is contraindicated because of the assumed higher risk of intracranial hemorrhage. In addition, tissue-type plasminogen activator may itself promote neurotoxicity and blood-brain barrier disruption. However, safety and effectiveness of repeated IVT is essentially unknown in patients with early (<3 months) recurrent stroke (ERS), because they were excluded from thrombolysis trials. This article reports the largest case series of repeated IVT in ERS., Methods: We reviewed databases of prospectively collected patient data of 8 European stroke centers for the presence of patients with ERS, who received IVT for both the index stroke and ERS. Demographics, clinical and radiological data, bleeding complications, and functional outcome were analyzed., Results: We identified 19 subjects with repeated IVT in ERS. Mean age was 68±12 years, and 37% of them were female. Median interthrombolysis interval was 30 days (interquartile range, 13-50). Functional independence (modified Rankin scale score ≤2) was achieved in 79% of patients after the first and in 47.4% after repeated IV tissue-type plasminogen activator, respectively. There was no symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. Median final infarct volume after the first IVT was 1.5 cm(3) (interquartile range, 0.5-3.1)., Conclusions: Patients with small infarct volumes and robust clinical improvement might be considered for repeated IVT within 3 months. Studies following strict protocols and larger registries incorporating these patients might serve to identify selection criteria for the safe use of repeated IVT in ERS., (© 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.)

Background and Purpose: Our aim was to investigate whether pulsatile tinnitus (PT) in cervical artery dissection (CeAD) has prognostic significance., Methods: All CeAD patients from the CADISP (Cervical Artery Dissection and Ischemic Stroke Patients) study with documentation of PT were analysed. The presence of PT was systematically assessed using a standardized questionnaire. Stroke severity at admission was defined according to the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). Excellent outcome after 3 months was defined as a modified Rankin Scale of 0-1., Results: Sixty-three of 778 patients (8.1%) reported PT. PT+ patients presented less often with ischaemic stroke (41.3% vs. 63.9%, P < 0.001), more often with dissection in the internal carotid artery (85.7% vs. 64.2%, P = 0.001), less often with vessel occlusion (19.0% vs. 34.1%, P = 0.017) and more often with excellent outcome at 3 months (92.1% vs. 75.4%, P = 0.002). Logistic regression analysis identified PT as an independent predictor of excellent outcome after 3 months [odds ratio (OR) 3.96, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22-12.87] adjusted to significant outcome predictors NIHSS on admission (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.79-0.86), Horner syndrome (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.16-3.29) and vessel occlusion (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.40-0.94) and to non-significant predictors age, sex, pain and location of CeAD., Conclusion: The presence of PT in CeAD is associated with a benign clinical course and predicts a favourable outcome., (© 2016 EAN.)

Background: We explored the safety of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) or intra-arterial treatment (IAT) in patients with ischemic stroke on non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs, last intake <48 hours) in comparison with patients (1) taking vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) or (2) without previous anticoagulation (no-OAC)., Methods and Results: This is a multicenter cohort pilot study. Primary outcome measures were (1) occurrence of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) in 3 categories: any ICH (ICHany), symptomatic ICH according to the criteria of the European Cooperative Acute Stroke Study II (ECASS-II) (sICHECASS-II) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) thrombolysis trial (sICHNINDS); and (2) death (at 3 months). Cohorts were compared by using propensity score matching. Our NOAC cohort comprised 78 patients treated with IVT/IAT and the comparison groups of 441 VKA patients and 8938 no-OAC patients. The median time from last NOAC intake to IVT/IAT was 13 hours (interquartile range, 8-22 hours). In VKA patients, median pre-IVT/IAT international normalized ratio was 1.3 (interquartile range, 1.1-1.6). ICHany was observed in 18.4% NOAC patients versus 26.8% in VKA patients and 17.4% in no-OAC patients. sICHECASS-II and sICHNINDS occurred in 2.6%/3.9% NOAC patients, in comparison with 6.5%/9.3% of VKA patients and 5.0%/7.2% of no-OAC patients, respectively. At 3 months, 23.0% of NOAC patients in comparison with 26.9% of VKA patients and 13.9% of no-OAC patients had died. Propensity score matching revealed no statistically significant differences., Conclusions: IVT/IAT in selected patients with ischemic stroke under NOAC treatment has a safety profile similar to both IVT/IAT in patients on subtherapeutic VKA treatment or in those without previous anticoagulation. However, further prospective studies are needed, including the impact of specific coagulation tests., (© 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.)

Ischaemic stroke (IS) in young adults has been increasingly recognized as a serious health condition. Stroke aetiology is different in young adults than in the older population. This study aimed to investigate aetiology and risk factors, and to search for predictors of outcome and recurrence in young IS patients. We conducted a prospective multicentre study of consecutive IS patients aged 16-55 years. Baseline demographic data, risk factors, stroke aetiology including systematic genetic screening for Fabry disease and severity were assessed and related to functional neurological outcome (modified Rankin Scale, mRS), case fatality, employment status, place of residence, and recurrent cerebrovascular events at 3 months. In 624 IS patients (60% men), median age was 46 (IQR 39-51) years and median NIHSS on admission 3 (IQR 1-8). Modifiable vascular risk factors were found in 73%. Stroke aetiology was mostly cardioembolism (32%) and of other defined origin (24%), including cervicocerebral artery dissection (17%). Fabry disease was diagnosed in 2 patients (0.3%). Aetiology remained unknown in 20%. Outcome at 3 months was favourable (mRS 0-1) in 61% and fatal in 2.9%. Stroke severity (p < 0.001) and diabetes mellitus (p = 0.023) predicted unfavourable outcome. Stroke recurrence rate at 3 months was 2.7%. Previous stroke or TIA predicted recurrent cerebrovascular events (p = 0.012). In conclusion, most young adults with IS had modifiable vascular risk factors, emphasizing the importance of prevention strategies. Outcome was unfavourable in more than a third of patients and was associated with initial stroke severity and diabetes mellitus. Previous cerebrovascular events predicted recurrent ones.

Intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) as treatment in acute ischaemic strokes may be insufficient to achieve recanalisation in certain patients. Predicting probability of non-recanalisation after IVT may have the potential to influence patient selection to more aggressive management strategies. We aimed at deriving and internally validating a predictive score for post-thrombolytic non-recanalisation, using clinical and radiological variables. In thrombolysis registries from four Swiss academic stroke centres (Lausanne, Bern, Basel and Geneva), patients were selected with large arterial occlusion on acute imaging and with repeated arterial assessment at 24 hours. Based on a logistic regression analysis, an integer-based score for each covariate of the fitted multivariate model was generated. Performance of integer-based predictive model was assessed by bootstrapping available data and cross validation (delete-d method). In 599 thrombolysed strokes, five variables were identified as independent predictors of absence of recanalisation: Acute glucose > 7 mmol/l (A), significant extracranial vessel STenosis (ST), decreased Range of visual fields (R), large Arterial occlusion (A) and decreased Level of consciousness (L). All variables were weighted 1, except for (L) which obtained 2 points based on β-coefficients on the logistic scale. ASTRAL-R scores 0, 3 and 6 corresponded to non-recanalisation probabilities of 18, 44 and 74 % respectively. Predictive ability showed AUC of 0.66 (95 %CI, 0.61-0.70) when using bootstrap and 0.66 (0.63-0.68) when using delete-d cross validation. In conclusion, the 5-item ASTRAL-R score moderately predicts non-recanalisation at 24 hours in thrombolysed ischaemic strokes. If its performance can be confirmed by external validation and its clinical usefulness can be proven, the score may influence patient selection for more aggressive revascularisation strategies in routine clinical practice.

Background and Purpose: To determine the frequency of new ischaemic or hemorrhagic brain lesions on early follow-up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with cervical artery dissection (CAD) and to investigate the relationship with antithrombotic treatment., Methods: This prospective observational study included consecutive CAD patients with ischaemic or non-ischaemic symptoms within the preceding 4 weeks. All patients had baseline brain MRI scans at the time of CAD diagnosis and follow-up MRI scans within 30 days thereafter. Ischaemic lesions were detected by diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), intracerebral bleeds (ICBs) by paramagnetic-susceptible sequences. Outcome measures were any new DWI lesions or ICBs on follow-up MRI scans. Kaplan-Meier statistics and calculated odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were used for lesion occurrence, baseline characteristics and type of antithrombotic treatment (antiplatelet versus anticoagulant)., Results: Sixty-eight of 74 (92%) CAD patients were eligible for analysis. Median (interquartile range) time interval between baseline and follow-up MRI scans was 5 (3-10) days. New DWI lesions occurred in 17 (25%) patients with a cumulative 30-day incidence of 41.3% (standard error 8.6%). Occurrence of new DWI lesions was associated with stroke or transient ischaemic attack at presentation [7.86 (2.01-30.93)], occlusion of the dissected vessel [4.09 (1.24-13.55)] and presence of DWI lesions on baseline MRI [6.67 (1.70-26.13)]. The type of antithrombotic treatment had no impact either on occurrence of new DWI lesions [1.00 (0.32-3.15)] or on functional 6-month outcome [1.27 (0.41-3.94)]. No new ICBs were observed., Conclusion: New ischaemic brain lesions occurred in a quarter of CAD patients, independently of the type of antithrombotic treatment. MRI findings could potentially serve as surrogate outcomes in pilot treatment trials., (© 2015 EAN.)

Background: Serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) levels represent a promising marker of neuroaxonal injury. They are elevated in several neurological conditions, but their importance in cerebrovascular diseases remains unclear. In a proof of concept study, we compared sNfL levels with clinical characteristics and outcome in patients with cervical artery dissection (CeAD)., Methods: A total of 49 non-traumatic CeAD patients were included. sNfL levels were measured by high-sensitivity electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Levels were compared with regard to (i) type of presenting symptoms (local symptoms only (n = 8), transient ischemic attack (TIA; n = 10) or ischemic stroke (n = 31)), (ii) stroke severity quantified by National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), (iii) time interval between onset of symptoms and blood sampling and (iv) 3-month outcome as measured by the modified Rankin Scale score. Analyses were performed using univariate and multivariate linear and ordinal regression models., Results: CeAD patients presenting with stroke had significantly higher sNfL levels (median 108.9 pg/ml, interquartile range (37.8-427.7)) than patients with TIA (16.4 pg/ml (8.7-36.3), p = 0.002) or local symptoms (23.4 pg/ml (17.8-30.8), p = 0.0007). Among stroke patients, sNfL levels were positively associated with both NIHSS (p = 0.0002) and time between stroke onset and serum sampling (p = 1.9 × 10-6). Higher sNfL levels were associated with unfavorable outcome at 3 months (OR 4.67, 95% CI 1.69-12.95, p = 0.003). However, this association lost significance after adjustment for NIHSS. The highest sNfL level was observed in a TIA patient who had ischemic stroke 1 day after serum sampling for sNfL measurement., Conclusion: sNfL levels were increased in CeAD patients presenting with stroke, correlated with clinical severity and were influenced by the time point of blood sampling. The prognostic meaning of sNfL in CeAD deserves further testing., (© 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.)