Stroke; a journal of cerebral circulation
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CT perfusion (CTP) is widely and rapidly accessible for imaging acute ischemic stroke but has limited validation. Cerebral blood volume (CBV) has been proposed as the best predictor of infarct core. We tested CBV against other common CTP parameters using contemporaneous diffusion MRI. ⋯ In contrast to previous reports, CBF corresponded with the acute diffusion-weighted imaging lesion better than CBV, although no single threshold avoids detection of false-positive regions in unaffected white matter. This relates to low signal-to-noise ratio in CTP maps and emphasizes the need for optimized acquisition and postprocessing.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of carotid endarterectomy or stenting on blood pressure in the International Carotid Stenting Study (ICSS).
Arterial hypotension is more frequently observed early after carotid artery stenting (CAS) than after carotid endarterectomy (CEA), but their long-term effects on blood pressure (BP) are unclear. We compared the effects of CAS and CEA on BP up to 1 year after treatment in the International Carotid Stenting Study. ⋯ CAS leads to a larger early decrease in BP than CEA, but this effect does not persist over time. CAS may lessen the requirement for antihypertensive medication more than CEA. Clinical Trial Registration- URL: www.controlled-trials.com. Unique identifier: ISRCTN25337470.
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Early brain injury is an important pathological process after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The goal of this study was to evaluate whether the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) agonist PNU-282987 attenuates early brain injury after SAH and whether α7nAChR stimulation is associated with down-regulation of caspase activity via phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-Akt signaling. ⋯ α7nAChR stimulation decreased neuronal cell death and brain edema and improved neurological status in a rat perforation model of SAH. α7nAChR stimulation is associated with increasing phosphorylation of Akt and decreasing cleaved caspase 3 levels in neurons.
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Good collateral pial circulation (CPC) predicts a favorable outcome in patients undergoing intra-arterial procedures. We aimed to determine if CPC status may be used to decide about pursuing recanalization efforts. ⋯ Good CPC predicts better clinical response to intra-arterial treatment beyond 5 hours from onset. In patients with stroke receiving endovascular treatment, identification of good CPC may help physicians when considering pursuing recanalization efforts in late time windows.
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Management of asymptomatic unruptured intracranial aneurysms remains controversial, and recent prospective follow-up studies showed that the rupture rate of small aneurysms is very low. These results are inconsistent with the finding that the majority of ruptured aneurysms in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage are small. ⋯ This study suggests that some aneurysms bleed shortly after formation and thus are rarely detected as unruptured aneurysms. Most aneurysms without early rupture remain stable for the remainder of life through some healing process, and prophylactic treatment for incidentally identified small unruptured aneurysms has no rationale.