BACKGROUND: Dysphagia is common after stroke. We aimed to study the prognosis of dysphagia (assessed clinically) over the first 3 months after acute stroke and to determine whether specific neurovascular-anatomical sites were associated with swallowing dysfunction. METHODS: We prospectively examined consecutive patients with acute first-ever stroke. The assessment of dysphagia was made using standardized clinical methods. The arterial territories involved were determined on CT/MRI. All patients were followed up for 3 months. RESULTS: 34.7% of 406 patients had dysphagia. Dysphagia was more frequent in patients with hemorrhagic stroke (31/63 vs. 110/343; p = 0.01). In patients with ischemic stroke, the involvement of the arterial territory of the total middle cerebral artery was more frequently associated with dysphagia (28.2 vs. 2.2%; p < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis revealed that stroke mortality and disability were independently associated with dysphagia (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of dysphagia was relatively high. Regarding anatomical-clinical correlation, the most important factor was the size rather than the location of the lesion. Dysphagia assessed clinically was a significant variable predicting death and disability at 90 days.

Aged↗

PubMed2003

Recanalization of cervical artery dissection: influencing factors and role in neurological outcome.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Generally, the prognosis for cervical artery dissection (CAD) is uncertain. The recanalization rate of CAD can be up to 85% within 3 months. This study evaluates the variables that might affect recanalization and the role of recanalization as a predictor for neurological outcome. PATIENTS AND RESULTS: This study prospectively included 38 patients with acute stroke following occlusion due to CAD (18 males, 20 females, median age 50.5 years, range 16-82). Vertebral and carotid dissections were equally distributed (19 carotid dissections). The recanalization rate was influenced by the presence of hypertension (p = 0.001). Outcomes were dependent on infarct location. Patients with lateral medullary infarction returned to functional independence (p = 0.026), while patients with deep hemispheric infarction tended to have a disabling stroke (p = 0.068). The presence of good collaterals seemed to influence functional independence (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: There seemed to be no relationship between outcome and the rate of recanalization following CAD. Recanalization appeared to be a spontaneous mechanism, which could have depended on the intrinsic condition of the vessels. Finally, neurological outcome was dependent on lesion localization and the presence of good collaterals.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2003

Neurology training around the world.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Biomedical Research↗

PubMed2003

Is ultrasound examination sufficient in the evaluation of patients with internal carotid artery severe stenosis or occlusion?

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Carotid endarterectomy (CE) has been shown to be beneficial in patients with symptomatic high-grade internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis. Some authors have suggested that when ultrasound shows a stenosis 70-99%, CE can be performed without further imaging study. However, ultrasound findings that suggest an ICA occlusion, not confirmed by angiography but which instead show a near-occlusion usually benefit from CE. The objectives of this study are: (1). to evaluate how angiography-obtained information on intracranial arteries affects the treatment decision in patients with 70-99% ICA stenosis, and (2). to evaluate when a symptomatic ICA occlusion shown by ultrasound could actually be a patent artery and therefore benefit from CE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We prospectively collected the cerebral angiograms of 133 consecutive patients with TIA or non-disabling stroke due to large artery disease where ultrasound suggested a stenosis >or=70% or occlusion of symptomatic ICA; we calculated the frequency of intracranial vascular malformations and intracranial artery disease (IAD) located in the infraclinoid or supraclinoid portion of the ICA, and in the anterior or middle cerebral artery. RESULTS: Ultrasound showed 31 ICA occlusions and 102 ICA with 70-99% stenosis. All the patients with an ICA stenosis 70-99% on ultrasound examination had the degree of stenosis confirmed by angiography. Two out of 31 patients did not have a complete occlusion but angiography showed a near-occlusion and consequently they underwent CE. Sixty-five (62.5%) out of 104 patients with patent ICA had IAD (mild 26.9%, moderate 21.2%, and severe 14.4%). Five patients (4.8%) had intracranial vascular malformations (4 aneurysms and 1 arteriovenous malformation). One patient had disabling stroke during angiography. Seven patients (6.7%) did not undergo CE after angiography (1 patient had an aneurysm >10 mm, 1 patient had a very tight stenosis of the basilar artery, 5 patients had intracranial stenosis more severe than the extracranial stenosis). CONCLUSIONS: In patients that on the basis of ultrasound examination can benefit from CE, information on intracranial arteries is necessary. Moreover, complete occlusion cannot be detected with certainty only by ultrasound examination.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Characteristics of delayed admission to stroke unit.

Early admission to stroke unit (SU) and factors that may cause admission delay represent relevant issues to obtain an optimal management of acute stroke. This study was aimed at recording timing from clinical onset to admission to our SU and to identify the reasons for delay. We prospectively examined acute stroke patients consecutively admitted to the Perugia SU. Baseline characteristics of stroke patients, stroke type and etiology, time from symptom onset to arrival in the SU were obtained from the Hospital-Based Perugia Stroke Registry. 60.8% of 2,213 consecutive stroke patients admitted to the SU arrived within 6 hrs and 39.2% after 6 hrs. Underestimation of symptoms was the cause of delay in 48.7% of cases. Younger age, especially for females, ischemic stroke, mild and/or unspecific symptoms and the underestimation of symptoms seem to be the main reasons for delayed arrival in the SU. To increase the proportion of stroke patients arriving in the SU within 3 hr of symptom onset, it is necessary to improve public and general practitioner awareness of stroke through educational programs.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Multimodal use of computed tomography in early acute stroke, part 1.

Brain Computed tomography (CT) scan has been used in the past to exclude a hemorrhagic stroke, to determine a possible cause of the stroke patient symptoms, and to demonstrate a stabilized area of hypoperfusional flow. Several results from CT scan studies suggested that we could have new information on prognosis and outcome, localization, and risk of infarction. In this view, CT scan in acute stroke may contribute, using objective measures, to evaluate the inclusion in clinical and therapeutical trials, such as thrombolytic therapy. The lack of consensus among clinicians does not allow a secure and definitive system of CT scan evaluation. Besides its common uses, more recently brain CT scan provides new techniques utilizing advanced algorithms of reconstruction, with promising properties not yet completely verified, to highlight more aspects of acute stroke in the early phase. Despite this limitation, progress on neuroradiological techniques reinforces the concept that brain CT scan remains the key of studies, as well as of validation and routine treatment in terms of feasibility, low cost, and widely availability.

Acute Disease↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The Perugia hospital-based Stroke Registry: report of the 2nd year.

This study reports the characteristics of stroke patients admitted to our hospital in the period Jan 1st, 1998-Dec 31st 1999. Seven hundred and ninety seven consecutive subjects (412 males; mean age 71 +/- 13 years) with a first-ever stroke were registered. Two-thirds of patients (65%) were admitted to the Stroke Unit (SU). The remaining part was managed in six general medicine wards (GM) or other services [neurosurgery and intensive care units (ICU+ NS)]. Ischemic stroke occurred in 534 subjects (67%). The high prevalence (30.1%) of haemorrhages can be partly explained by the presence of specialized neurosurgical services. Athero-thrombotic infarctions occurred in 21.7% of patients, lacunar in 24.7%, cardioembolic in 18.1%, other determined in 6.1%, and other undetermined in 27.5%. Overall hospital mortality was 10%. In cerebral hemorrhage mortality was 18% (44/240) vs. 6.3% (32/534) in ischemic stroke (p < 0.05). The distribution of stroke types and mortality was similar to other previous reports.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Heart-brain relationship: atrial fibrillation and stroke.

In Western countries, stroke is the second cause of death and the first cause of disability. Cardiogenic embolism is the most frequent cause of recurrent strokes. Nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) is the most common source of cardiogenic embolism, with a stroke recurrence rate of about 10% per year. Randomised trials have shown that anticoagulation and aspirin are safe in patients with NVAF, leading to 70% and 22% risk reduction of strokes, respectively. Many potential candidates to anticoagulation fail to receive the appropriate treatment for primary and secondary prevention. More efforts should be spent to increase the number of treated subjects, in order to achieve effective prevention on stroke.

Atrial Fibrillation↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Brain CT-scan in acute stroke patients: silent infarcts and relation to outcome.

Silent infarcts (SIs) are common findings in stroke patients, but their clinical significance remains controversial. Aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of SI in consecutive stroke patients, characteristics, associated factors, and influence on in-hospital mortality. The population consisted of 191 patients, consecutively admitted for an acute stroke. Of 191 patients, 74 had SI on CT-scan. Silent infarcts were often multiple, right sided, lacunar. We found SI more frequently in older patients, smokers, with an ischemic stroke having small vessel disease as presumed cause. In our study SI were associated with ageing, smoke habit and lacunar stroke. Silent infarcts size influenced the rate of in-hospital mortality.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Brain CT scan in acute ischemic stroke: early signs and functional outcome.

There is evidence that an improvement of the diagnostic abilities could have a value for prognosis and therapy of the ischemic stroke. New neuroradiological strategies could be used with an amelioration of the evaluation and standardization of the ischemic damage. The value of early vascular sign remains controversial as a predictor of patient outcome. Early parenchymal changes are related to a poor outcome. The risk of hemorrhagic transformation increases with trombolytic therapy and especially with the onset of therapy. Between hemorrhagic transformation, only the large hematomas seems to be related to early deterioration and death. Brain Computed Tomography (CT) examination can give information about prognosis and therapeutic choice.

Brain↗