Mechanical Thrombectomy in Ischemic Stroke Patients With Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score 0-5.

Background and Purpose- If anterior circulation large vessel occlusion acute ischemic stroke patients presenting with ASPECTS 0-5 (Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score) should be treated with mechanical thrombectomy remains unclear. Purpose of this study was to report on the outcome of patients with ASPECTS 0-5 treated with mechanical thrombectomy and to provide data regarding the effect of successful reperfusion on clinical outcomes and safety measures in these patients. Methods- Multicenter, pooled analysis of 7 institutional prospective registries: Bernese-European Registry for Ischemic Stroke Patients Treated Outside Current Guidelines With Neurothrombectomy Devices Using the SOLITAIRE FR With the Intention for Thrombectomy (Clinical Trial Registration-URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT03496064). Primary outcome was defined as modified Rankin Scale 0-3 at day 90 (favorable outcome). Secondary outcomes included rates of day 90 modified Rankin Scale 0-2 (functional independence), day 90 mortality and occurrence of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association of successful reperfusion with clinical outcomes. Outputs are displayed as adjusted Odds Ratios (aOR) and 95% CI. Results- Two hundred thirty-seven of 2046 patients included in this registry presented with anterior circulation large vessel occlusion and ASPECTS 0-5. In this subgroup, the overall rates of favorable outcome and mortality at day 90 were 40.1% and 40.9%. Achieving successful reperfusion was independently associated with favorable outcome (aOR, 5.534; 95% CI, 2.363-12.961), functional independence (aOR, 5.583; 95% CI, 1.964-15.873), reduced mortality (aOR, 0.180; 95% CI, 0.083-0.390), and lower rates of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (aOR, 0.235; 95% CI, 0.062-0.887). The mortality-reducing effect remained in patients with ASPECTS 0-4 (aOR, 0.167; 95% CI, 0.056-0.499). Sensitivity analyses did not change the primary results. Conclusions- In patients presenting with ASPECTS 0-5, who were treated with mechanical thrombectomy, successful reperfusion was beneficial without increasing the risk of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage. Although the results do not allow for general treatment recommendations, formal testing of mechanical thrombectomy versus best medical treatment in these patients in a randomized controlled trial is warranted

Age-dependent variation of female preponderance across different phenotypes of multiple sclerosis: A retrospective cross-sectional study

Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the CNS, which predominantly affects women. Studies investigating the sex distribution in MS are sparse. We aim to analyze the female-to-male ratio (F/M ratio) in different MS phenotypes in association with age at diagnosis and year of birth. Methods: We performed a retrospective cross-sectional analysis by cumulating data (sex, year of birth, age at diagnosis, and MS phenotypes) from unpublished and published studies of the participating centers. Results: Datasets of 945 patients were collected. The overall F/M ratio was 1.9:1.0 and female preponderance was present in all phenotypes except for primary progressive MS (PPMS), in which men were predominantly affected (F/M ratio: 0.5:1.0). Female preponderance declined with increasing age at diagnosis and was no longer present in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients > 58 years of age. Conclusion: Our data demonstrate an age dependency of female preponderance in MS except for PPMS. This could be influenced by the lifecycle of sex hormone secretion in women. In PPMS, a male preponderance was observed in all age-groups, which might point to pathophysiological mechanisms being less influenced by sex hormones. © 2018 The Authors CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics Published by John Wiley & Sons Lt

Age-dependent variation of female preponderance across different phenotypes of multiple sclerosis: A retrospective cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the CNS, which predominantly affects women. Studies investigating the sex distribution in MS are sparse. We aim to analyze the female-to-male ratio (F/M ratio) in different MS phenotypes in association with age at diagnosis and year of birth. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cross-sectional analysis by cumulating data (sex, year of birth, age at diagnosis, and MS phenotypes) from unpublished and published studies of the participating centers. RESULTS: Datasets of 945 patients were collected. The overall F/M ratio was 1.9:1.0 and female preponderance was present in all phenotypes except for primary progressive MS (PPMS), in which men were predominantly affected (F/M ratio: 0.5:1.0). Female preponderance declined with increasing age at diagnosis and was no longer present in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients > 58 years of age. CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrate an age dependency of female preponderance in MS except for PPMS. This could be influenced by the lifecycle of sex hormone secretion in women. In PPMS, a male preponderance was observed in all age-groups, which might point to pathophysiological mechanisms being less influenced by sex hormones

Clinical effect of successful reperfusion in patients presenting with NIHSS < 8: data from the BEYOND-SWIFT registry.

If patients presenting with large vessel occlusions (LVO) and mild symptoms should be treated with endvoascular treatment (EVT) remains unclear. Aims of this study were (1) assessing the safety and technical efficacy of EVT in patients with NIHSS &lt; 8 as opposed to a comparison group of patients presenting with NIHSS ≥ 8 and (2) evaluation of the clinical effect of reperfusion in patients with NIHSS &lt; 8. Patients included into the retrospective multicenter BEYOND-SWIFT registry (NCT03496064) were analyzed. Clinical effect of achieving successful reperfusion (defined as modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction grade 2b/3) in patients presenting with NIHSS &lt; 8 (N = 193) was evaluated using multivariable logistic regression analyses (displayed as adjusted Odds Ratios, aOR and 95% confidence intervals, 95%-CI). Primary outcome was excellent functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale, mRS 0-1) at day 90. Safety and efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy in patients with NIHSS &lt; 8 was compared to patients presenting with NIHSS ≥ 8 (N = 1423). Among patients with NIHSS &lt; 8 (N = 193, 77/193, 39.9% receiving pre-interventional IV-tPA), successful reperfusion was significantly related to mRS 0-1 (aOR 3.217, 95%-CI 1.174-8.816) and reduced the chances of non-hemorrhagic neurological worsening (aOR 0.194, 95%-CI 0.050-0.756) after adjusting for prespecified confounders. In interaction analyses, the relative merits of achieving successful reperfusion were mostly comparable between patients presenting with NIHSS &lt; 8 and NIHSS ≥ 8 as evidenced by non-significantly different aOR. Interventional safety and efficacy metrics were similar between patients with NIHSS &lt; 8 and NIHSS ≥ 8. Achieving successful reperfusion is beneficial in patients with persisting LVO presenting with NIHSS &lt; 8 and reduces the risk of non-hemorrhagic neurological worsening

Rivaroxaban or aspirin for patent foramen ovale and embolic stroke of undetermined source: a prespecified subgroup analysis from the NAVIGATE ESUS trial

Background: Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a contributor to embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS). Subgroup analyses from previous studies suggest that anticoagulation could reduce recurrent stroke compared with antiplatelet therapy. We hypothesised that anticoagulant treatment with rivaroxaban, an oral factor Xa inhibitor, would reduce the risk of recurrent ischaemic stroke compared with aspirin among patients with PFO enrolled in the NAVIGATE ESUS trial. Methods: NAVIGATE ESUS was a double-blinded, randomised, phase 3 trial done at 459 centres in 31 countries that assessed the efficacy and safety of rivaroxaban versus aspirin for secondary stroke prevention in patients with ESUS. For this prespecified subgroup analysis, cohorts with and without PFO were defined on the basis of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE). The primary efficacy outcome was time to recurrent ischaemic stroke between treatment groups. The primary safety outcome was major bleeding, according to the criteria of the International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis. The primary analyses were based on the intention-to-treat population. Additionally, we did a systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis of studies in which patients with cryptogenic stroke and PFO were randomly assigned to receive anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy. Findings: Between Dec 23, 2014, and Sept 20, 2017, 7213 participants were enrolled and assigned to receive rivaroxaban (n=3609) or aspirin (n=3604). Patients were followed up for a mean of 11 months because of early trial termination. PFO was reported as present in 534 (7·4%) patients on the basis of either TTE or TOE. Patients with PFO assigned to receive aspirin had a recurrent ischaemic stroke rate of 4·8 events per 100 person-years compared with 2·6 events per 100 person-years in those treated with rivaroxaban. Among patients with known PFO, there was insufficient evidence to support a difference in risk of recurrent ischaemic stroke between rivaroxaban and aspirin (hazard ratio [HR] 0·54; 95% CI 0·22–1·36), and the risk was similar for those without known PFO (1·06; 0·84–1·33; pinteraction=0·18). The risks of major bleeding with rivaroxaban versus aspirin were similar in patients with PFO detected (HR 2·05; 95% CI 0·51–8·18) and in those without PFO detected (HR 2·82; 95% CI 1·69–4·70; pinteraction=0·68). The random-effects meta-analysis combined data from NAVIGATE ESUS with data from two previous trials (PICSS and CLOSE) and yielded a summary odds ratio of 0·48 (95% CI 0·24–0·96; p=0·04) for ischaemic stroke in favour of anticoagulation, without evidence of heterogeneity. Interpretation: Among patients with ESUS who have PFO, anticoagulation might reduce the risk of recurrent stroke by about half, although substantial imprecision remains. Dedicated trials of anticoagulation versus antiplatelet therapy or PFO closure, or both, are warranted. Funding: Bayer and Janssen