6 research outputs found
Rescue Treatment with Intra-arterial Tirofiban Infusion and Emergent Carotid Stenting
Rapid arterial rethrombosis is associated with high-grade residual stenosis and usually occurs at the site of the initial occlusion, resulting in reocclusion of the recanalized artery. Platelets may play an active role in such rethrombosis after thrombolytic-induced clot lysis. Given that glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor blockers, like tirofiban, prevent thrombus formation by inhibiting the final common pathway of platelet aggregation, they may be helpful for treating rethrombosis after thrombolysis. A 64-year-old man presented with an acute ischemic stroke due to internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion. The ICA was recanalized by intravenous thrombolysis but reoccluded shortly after recanalization. The reoccluded ICA was successfully recanalized using intra-arterial tirofiban. A carotid stent was subsequently inserted to relieve severe stenosis and to prevent recurrent stroke. Here, we report a case of rescue treatment of a successfully recanalized ICA by intra-arterial tirofiban. We suggest that rescue use of intra-arterial tirofiban may be effective and safe, especially in hemorrhage prone situations, due to the relatively lower dose of tirofiban compared with intravenous doses
Lacunar Infarction in Type 2 Diabetes Is Associated with an Elevated Intracranial Arterial Pulsatility Index
Purpose: The arterial pulsatility index (PI) is measured by transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (TCD) and is postulated to reflect the vascular resistance distal to the artery being examined. An increased PI of the intracranial artery is often reported with diabetes mellitus (DM), old age, hypertension, intracranial hypertension, vascular dementia, and small artery disease. Microvascular complication of DM, which may contribute to cerebral infarction, involves the small perforating artery and may influence the PI of the proximal artery. Materials and Methods: We performed a TCD examination in patients with type 2 DM with acute lacunar infarction (DML, n = 35), type 2 DM without cerebral infarction (DMO, n = 69), and in control cases with no DM or cerebral infarction (control group, n = 41). We then compared the TCD findings among these groups. Results: The PI was significantly higher in the DML and DMO groups than in the control group (1.05, 0.93, 0.73. respectively, for the right middle cerebral artery; 1.04, 0.90, 0.73, respectively, for the left middle cerebral artery; 0.97, 0.89, 0.70, respectively, for the basilar artery). The PI was also significantly higher in the DML group than in the DMO group for both middle cerebral arteries. The flow velocity was comparable among the three groups. Conclusion: The elevated PI of the intracranial arteries may reflect diabetic cerebral microvascular complications. The PI measurement using TCD may be a useful predictor of lacunar infarction in type 2 DM patients
Fluid-Attenuated Inversion Recovery Hyperintense Vessels in Posterior Cerebral Artery Infarction
Background: Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery hyperintense vessels (FHVs) are known to reflect stagnant or slow blood flow within the cerebral artery. FHVs are frequently observed in patients with acute cerebral infarction accompanied by arterial occlusion or significant stenosis of the anterior cerebral circulation. However, FHVs have not been studied in the context of posterior cerebral circulation. Thus, we investigated the prevalence of FHVs and its clinical significance in patients with acute posterior cerebral artery (PCA) territory infarction. Methods: In this retrospective study, consecutive patients with PCA territory infarction who underwent MRI within 1 week after symptom onset were enrolled. Two neurologists who were blinded to the angiographic findings read the images and determined the presence of FHVs. Afterwards, FHVs were graded according to the extent (subtle or prominent) and location (proximal or distal) of the hyperintense vessels. Neurologic deficits of the patients were assessed by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) upon admission and after 5 days. The clinical outcome between patient groups based on FHVs grading was compared using the NIHSS. Among the patients with PCA occlusion, infarction volume on the diffusion-weighted image was compared between the two groups with and without distal FHVs. Results: FHVs were observed in 25 of the 87 patients (28.7%) with PCA territory infarction and in 65.7% of the 35 patients with significant arterial stenosis (10 patients) or occlusion (25 patients) in the posterior cerebral circulation. Among the 18 patients with PCA occlusion, the NIHSS score was significantly improved in patients with distal FHVs compared to the others (2.00 ± 2.18 vs. 0.56 ± 1.01, p = 0.04). The infarction volume was smaller in the distal FHV group than in the others (8.3 ± 8.7 vs. 16.8 ± 17.6 ml), but the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions: FHVs are detected in patients with PCA territory infarction, especially in those with an occlusive lesion in the PCA. FHVs can be used as an imaging marker of PCA occlusion. Although this study showed a better clinical improvement in patients with distal FHVs, further study is needed to elucidate the clinical meaning of FHVs in PCA infarction