Short-term predictors of incident stroke in older adults. The Cardiovascular Health Study

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Risk factors for incident stroke have been examined in middle-aged persons, but less is known about stroke precursors in the elderly, who suffer the highest rates of stroke. Short-term risk factors for incident stroke were examined in a longitudinal, population-based study including extensive measures of subclinical disease.

METHODS

Prospective study of 5201 women and men aged 65 years and older was undertaken in the multicenter Cardiovascular Health Study.

RESULTS

During an average 3.31-year follow-up, 188 incident strokes occurred. Stroke incidence increased significantly with age and was similar in women and men. Factors associated with increased stroke risk in multivariate analysis included age, aspirin use, diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, higher systolic blood pressure, increased time needed to walk 15 ft. frequent falls, elevated creatinine level, abnormal left ventricular (LV) wall motion and increased LV mass on echocardiography, ultrasound-defined carotid stenosis, and atrial fibrillation. Increased LV mass and carotid stenosis were associated with twofold and threefold increases in incidences of stroke, respectively (P < .001). Aspirin users had a 52% higher risk of stroke (relative risk, 1.52; 95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 2.0; P < .007) after adjustment for other factors. This association was present only among aspirin users without prior coronary disease, atrial fibrillation, claudication, or transient ischemic attack, who had an 84% higher risk (relative risk, 1.84; 95% confidence interval, 1.2 to 2.8).

CONCLUSIONS

Short-term risk of stroke has a complex relationship with aspirin use and is strongly related to subclinical disease in this sample of older adults. These relationships should be considered in assessing stroke risk in the elderly, in whom recognized and subclinical cardiovascular disease is highly prevalent.

Thickening of the carotid wall. A marker for atherosclerosis in the elderly? Cardiovascular Health Study Collaborative Research Group

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

We investigated the relationships between prevalent coronary heart disease (CHD), clinically manifest atherosclerotic disease (ASD), and major established risk factors for atherosclerosis and intima-media thickness (IMT) in the common carotid arteries (CCA) and internal carotid arteries (ICA) separately and in combination in older adults. We wished to determine whether a noninvasive measurement can serve as an indicator of clinically manifest atherosclerotic disease and to determine which of the two variables, CCA IMT or ICA IMT, is a better correlate.

METHODS

IMT of the CCA and ICA was measured with duplex ultrasound in 5117 of 5201 individuals enrolled in the Cardiovascular Health Study, a study of the risk factors and the natural history of cardiovascular disease in adults aged 65 years or more. Histories of CHD, peripheral arterial disease, and cerebrovascular disease were obtained during baseline examination. Risk factors included cholesterol levels, cigarette smoking, elevated blood pressure, diabetes, age, and sex. Relationships between risk factors and IMT were studied by multiple regression analysis and canonical variate analysis. Prediction of prevalent CHD and ASD by IMT measurements in CCAs and ICAs were made by logistic regression, adjusting for age and sex.

RESULTS

IMT measurements of the CCAs and ICAs were greater in persons with CHD and ASD than those without, even after controlling for sex (P < .001). IMT measurements in the ICA were greater than those in the CCA. Risk factors for ASD accounted for 17% and 18% of the variability in IMT in the CCA and ICA, respectively. These same risk factors accounted for 25% of the variability of a composite measurement consisting of the sum of the ICA IMT and CCA IMT. The ability to predict CHD and ASD was greater for ICA IMT (odds ratio [confidence interval]: 1.36 [1.31 to 1.41] and 1.35 [1.25 to 1.44], respectively) than for CCA IMT (1.09 [1.05 to 1.13] and 1.17 [1.09 to 1.25]).

CONCLUSIONS

Whereas CCA IMT is associated with major risk factors for atherosclerosis and existing CHD and ASD in older adults, this association is not as strong as that for ICA IMT. The combination of these measures relates more strongly to existing CHD and ASD and cerebrovascular disease risk factors than either taken alone.

Lesion characteristics and depressed mood in the stroke data bank study

This study examined the relationship between post-stroke lesion size and location and depressed mood by using data from the multicenter National Stroke Data Bank. For in patients with first-ever cerebral infarction, lesions were characterized by location and size from CT scans. Forty-seven (24%) of the 193 patients studied were depressed. In the complete sample, neither lesion size nor location was associated with depression. However, among patients with comparable small-sized lesions (n = 124), depression was more frequent among those with left hemisphere stroke than those with right hemisphere stroke (31% vs. 16%; P = 0.04). Among patients with larger lesions, brain edema was common and may have obscured lateralized findings. Different biogenic amine neurotransmitter responses to right and left hemisphere brain injury may underlie this mood asymmetry.

Characterization of major depression symptoms in multiple sclerosis patients

Retrospective review of affective disturbances in 238 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) seen over a 6-month period revealed: 1) 51 patients (22%) received pharmacologic treatment for depressive symptoms during or within 4 years of the study period, and 17 (7%) received treatment for rapid mood swings; 2) among the 51 depressed patients, response rate to medication was extremely high; 3) relapse of depressive symptomatology after discontinuation of medication was also high (17/29); 4) first episodes of major depression frequently occurred during periods of MS progression or exacerbation, but first episodes also occurred during periods of relative clinical stability; 5) suicidal ideation was common (12 patients), but only 1 patient had a history of attempted suicide; and 6) side effects were tolerable in most patients.

Patent foramen ovale: association between the degree of shunt by contrast transesophageal echocardiography and the risk of future ischemic neurologic events

This study investigated whether there is an association between the degree of interatrial shunting across a patent foramen ovale, as determined by saline contrast transesophageal echocardiography, and the risk of subsequent systemic embolic events, including stroke. Thirty-four patients found to have foramen ovale during transesophageal echocardiography were divided into two groups on the basis of the maximum number of microbubbles in the left heart in any single frame after intravenous saline contrast injection: group 1 (n = 16) with a "large" degree of shunt ( > or = 20 microbubbles) and group 2 (n = 18) with a "small" degree of shunt ( > or = 3 microbubbles). Patients were followed up over a mean period of 21 months for subsequent systemic embolic events, including transient ischemic attack and stroke. Five (31%) of the patients with large shunts had subsequent ischemic neurologic events, whereas none of the patients with small shunts had embolic events (p = 0.03). These events occurred in spite of antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy. We conclude that patients with a large degree of shunt across a patient foramen ovale, as determined by contrast transesophageal echocardiography, are at a significantly higher risk of subsequent adverse neurologic events compared with patients with a small degree of shunt.

Methods of assessing prevalent cardiovascular disease in the Cardiovascular Health Study

The objective of this article is to describe the methods of assessing cardiovascular conditions among older adults recruited to the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), a cohort study of risk factors for coronary disease and stroke. Medicare eligibility lists from four US communities were used to obtain a representative sample of 5201 community-dwelling elderly, who answered standardized questionnaires and underwent an extensive clinic examination at baseline. For each cardiovascular condition, self-reports were confirmed by components of the baseline examination or, if necessary, by a validation protocol that included either the review of medical records or surveys of treating physicians. Potential underreporting of a condition was detected either by the review of medical records at baseline for other self-reported conditions or, during prospective follow-up, by the investigation of potential incident events. For myocardial infarction, 75.5% of the self-reports in men and 60.6% in women were confirmed. Self-reported congestive heart failure was confirmed in 73.3% of men and 76.6% of women; stroke, in 59.6% of men and 53.8% of women; and transient ischemic attack, in 41.5% of men and 37.0% of women. Underreporting was also common. During prospective follow-up of an average of about 3 years per person, approximately 50% of men and 38% of women were hospitalized or investigated for at least one potential incident event; for each cardiovascular condition, about 1 to 4% of those investigated during prospective follow-up were found to have had the cardiovascular condition prior to entry into the cohort.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Increased middle cerebral artery flow velocity during the initial phase of cardiopulmonary bypass may cause neurological dysfunction

One hundred twenty-seven patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery were monitored by transcranial Doppler ultrasonography. Five patients had more than 50% increases in middle cerebral artery mean flow velocity during the initial phase (10-120 sec) of cardiopulmonary bypass. Four of these 5 developed neurological complications including stroke and encephalopathy. These results indicate that overperfusion of the basal cerebral arteries during cardiopulmonary bypass procedures may contribute to neurological dysfunction after the surgery.

Ulcerated atherosclerotic plaques in the thoracic aorta are associated with cryptogenic stroke: a multiplane transesophageal echocardiographic study

Atherosclerotic plaque ulcers > or = 2 mm in depth and width in the thoracic aorta have been implicated by autopsy study as a cause of unexplained or cryptogenic ischemic strokes. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) allows visualization of complex atherosclerotic lesions of the thoracic aorta. We compared the prevalence of thoracic aorta ulcerated plaques (ulcers > or = 2 mm in both depth and width) in three age-matched groups undergoing multiplane TEE: group 1, 23 patients with cryptogenic ischemic stroke; group 2, 26 patients with known-cause strokes; and group 3, 57 control patients without strokes. TEEs were interpreted in a blinded fashion. Ulcerated plaques were found in 9 (39%) group 1 patients but in only 2 (8%) group 2 patients and in only 4 (7%) group 3 patients (p < 0.001). There was an association between advancing age and the presence of ulcerated plaques (p < 0.02). We conclude that ulcerated atherosclerotic plaques in the thoracic aorta are associated with cryptogenic ischemic stroke and should be considered a potential source of cerebral emboli.

Atmospheric-compensation experiments in strong-scintillation conditions

Most atmospheric-turbulence-compensation experiments have been performed under weak-scintillation conditions; conventional phase-conjugate adaptive-optics systems usually provide good correction for these conditions. We have performed an experiment over a 5.5-km horizontal propagation path to explore the efficacy of conventional adaptive optics in strong-scintillation conditions. The experimental results showed a significant degradation in correction as the scintillation increased. The presence of branch points in the phase appears to be the primary reason for the degradation in correction as the scintillation increases.

Clinical features and pathogenesis of intracerebral hemorrhage after rt-PA and heparin therapy for acute myocardial infarction: the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) II Pilot and Randomized Clinical Trial combined experience

Parenchymatous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a serious, infrequent complication of thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction. We studied the clinical and radiologic features, manner of presentation, associated factors, and temporal course in 23 patients with ICH associated with 150 mg or 100 mg recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) and heparin therapy for acute myocardial infarction in the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) II Pilot and Randomized Clinical Trial. In TIMI II, 13 of the 23 ICH patients developed or maintained systolic blood pressure > or = 160 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure > or = 90 mm Hg during the rt-PA infusion and before the onset of neurologic symptoms. Six patients (26%) had life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias, five before onset of neurologic symptoms. A decreased level of consciousness was the earliest neurologic abnormality in 15 (65%) and the most common initial physical finding (in 19, or 82%). Onset was usually gradual (70%), but time to maximal deficit was frequently (61%) within 6 hours of onset. The locations of the primary ICH sites were lobar in 16 (70%), thalamic in four (17%), and brainstem-cerebellum in three (13%), but the putamen was never the primary site. Multiple lobar hemorrhages occurred in six cases (26%). The timing and size of ICH was similar among patients treated with 150 mg rt-PA and 100 mg rt-PA. Brain CT demonstrated an arteriovenous malformation in one case. Four patients had hypofibrinogenemia, which was profound in three patients. Pathologic findings were available for five patients. Of these, three patients had cerebral amyloid angiopathy, and one had hemorrhagic transformation of an ischemic cerebral infarction found at autopsy. We conclude that ICH following rt-PA and heparin therapy for acute myocardial infarction presents as a distinctive clinical syndrome. Intracerebral bleeding after combined thrombolytic and antithrombotic therapy may be associated with cerebral amyloid angiopathy and other vascular lesions. Acute or persistent hypertension before or during rt-PA infusion, life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias, and hypofibrinogenemia, either alone or in combination, may play roles in some cases. Care should be exercised when considering thrombolytic therapy for patients with risk factors for ICH.

Microemboli during coronary artery bypass grafting. Genesis and effect on outcome

Cerebral dysfunction after coronary artery bypass operations represents some of the most serious and costly complications of cardiac surgery. We used transcranial Doppler ultrasonography to detect and quantify the number of microemboli in the right middle cerebral artery of patients undergoing elective first coronary bypass operations (n = 117) and second coronary bypass operations (n = 10). We hypothesized that total microemboli were related to clinical outcome. A 2 MHz transducer was positioned in front of the ear above the zygomatic arch and depth gated to 50 mm. Microemboli were recorded as perturbations of the blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery and aurally monitored. Each episode of microembolism was specified both by clock time and as a perfusion or surgical event. Forty-one patients (32%) completed neuropsychologic evaluation with a battery of tests for cognitive function. Anxiety states and traits were also assessed. The distribution of microembolism showed that there were three groups of patients: < 30 microemboli (n = 83); 30 to 59 (n = 24); and > 60 (n = 20). Seven of 10 patients with cerebral complications (stroke, coma, delirium, aberrant behavior) were in the > 60 microemboli group. Those with cerebral complications had 20.7 +/- 4.5 microemboli from perfusion and 57.4 +/- 15.6 from surgical events. The 13 patients in the > 60 microemboli group without central nervous system symptoms had 95.5 +/- 19.5 microemboli from perfusion and 36.0 +/- 6.9 from surgical events. Neuropsychologic scores were most often depressed for memory (73%), comprehension (49%), attention (46%), and constructional ability (44%). The greatest change was in total score in the > 60 microemboli group (-3.3 +/- 0.6) compared with -1.1 +/- 0.2 and -1.9 +/- 0.2 for the 30 to 59 and < 30 groups, respectively. The incidences of cardiac and pulmonary complications and mortality were different between those patients with < 60 microemboli versus those with > 60 microemboli. Cardiac and pulmonary complications and mortality percentages were 4.7%, 3.7%, and 0.9%, respectively, for the < 60 microemboli group and 20%, 20%, and 15%, respectively, for the > 60 microemboli group. We concluded that transcranial Doppler ultrasonography is a useful technique to quantify and detect the source of microemboli during coronary artery bypass operations and may be useful in assessing new operative strategies, the quality of the perfusion, and potentially as an indicator for pharmacologic therapy in the operating room in patients with high microemboli counts.

Interrater reliability of an etiologic classification of ischemic stroke

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Precise identification of the cause of stroke is critical to research and clinical practice. Published series of ischemic stroke show considerable variation in the proportion of cases classified as atherosclerotic large-vessel disease, lacunar infarct, cardioembolic stroke, stroke of other known cause, and stroke of undetermined etiology. We describe the development and use of an etiology-specific classification of ischemic stroke. The interrater reliability of the classification is then evaluated.

METHODS

A total of 160 cases of ischemic strokes in young adults were reviewed by paired neurologists who assigned cases to prioritized categories. The results of paired ratings were evaluated for each of the potential causes. Interrater agreement was assessed by means of kappa, which is the chance-adjusted percent agreement.

RESULTS

For standard pairs, kappa was fair to good for all causes except lacunar stroke (kappa = 0.31); however, pair-to-pair variation was greatest for lacunar strokes. Strokes of undetermined cause and hematologic/other cause were of borderline fair reliability.

CONCLUSIONS

The utility of a stroke classification system is dependent on its intended use. An etiologic classification is useful in studies of the epidemiology and pathophysiological basis of stroke. Fair to good reliability for an etiologic classification of stroke can be obtained when criteria are explicit.

Gender and aphasia in the Stroke Data Bank

Aphasia was present in 19.4% of the men and 22.5% of the women in the Stroke Data Bank. There were no gender differences in aphasia incidence among the intracerebral hemorrhages. Aphasia was more frequent among women with infarcts (37.0%) than men (28.3%). When stroke mechanism was controlled for, there was an excess of aphasia among the women with stroke due to cardiac embolism. When stroke site was controlled for, there were no gender differences in aphasia frequency. Wernicke's, global, and anomic aphasias were more common in women than men; Broca's aphasia was somewhat more common in men. Although there were no gender differences in infarct size overall, men with aphasia had larger infarcts than women with aphasia. Although gender differences were small, the infarct lesions producing aphasia in men were more posteriorly placed and the infarct lesions in women were more anteriorly placed, suggesting possible gender differences in the positioning of the language zone in the brain.

Neuropsychological and neuroradiologic correlates of emotional prosody comprehension

We examined a series of 59 patients with acute stroke lesions for the presence of comprehension emotional aprosody. Based on a standardized assessment of comprehension of emotional intonation, 29 patients (49%) showed emotional aprosody (17% "mild" aprosody [n = 10] and 32% "severe" aprosody [n = 19]). Patients with comprehension emotional aprosody showed a higher frequency of extinction on double-simultaneous stimulation, anosognosia, and deficits in facial emotion comprehension. Patients with comprehension emotional aprosody also showed a higher frequency of right-hemisphere lesions involving the basal ganglia and the temporoparietal cortex and more severe frontal and diencephalic atrophy. Comprehension emotional aprosody was not necessarily associated with poststroke depression (PSD) since patients with and without PSD showed similar impairments in emotional prosody comprehension.

Parametric modeling of stroke recurrence

Stroke recurrence has been investigated primarily with respect to prognostic factors predictive of recurrence. Several parametric functions are considered in modeling the distribution of ischemic stroke recurrences recorded within the Stroke Data Bank. A linear hazard function is shown to be the best-fitting function among those considered. This method of parametric modeling may lead to a more informed approach to treatment of ischemic stroke and secondary prevention and may enhance future investigations of prognostic factors as well.

Black-white differences in stroke risk among young adults

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Little information is available regarding black-white differences in stroke incidence in young adults.

METHODS

Cerebral infarction and intracerebral hemorrhage rates among adults 15 to 44 years of age were studied in Baltimore City and Baltimore County for 1988. Diagnoses were based on neurologist review of data obtained from medical records at 41 hospitals by neurological nurses.

RESULTS

The cerebral infarction rates per 100,000 were 22.8 for black males, 10.3 for white males, 20.7 for black females, and 10.8 for white females. The intracerebral hemorrhage rates per 100,000 were 14.2 for black males, 4.6 for white males, 4.8 for black females, and 1.5 for white females.

CONCLUSIONS

Blacks had significantly (P < .05) higher rates than whites for both cerebral infarction and intracerebral hemorrhage. Cerebral infarction rates are high in Baltimore compared with Florence, Italy, or Stockholm, Sweden.

Apathy following cerebrovascular lesions

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Although apathy has been reported to constitute a frequent sequela of stroke lesions, there have been no prospective studies on the frequency and correlates of apathy after stroke lesions. In the present study, we examined the frequency and correlates of apathy in a consecutive series of 80 patients with cerebrovascular lesions.

METHODS

We included patients within the first 10 days after a stroke lesion. Patients were examined with a comprehensive neuropsychiatric battery that included the Apathy Scale.

RESULTS

Eighteen patients (22.5%) showed apathy, nine of whom were also depressed. On the other hand, 18 patients (22.5%) showed depression in the absence of apathy. Although depression and apathy may exist independent of one another, major depression (but not minor depression) was associated with an increased frequency of apathy. Apathy was also significantly associated with older age, cognitive impairments, and deficits in activities of daily living. Finally, apathy was significantly associated with lesions in the posterior limb of the internal capsule.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings demonstrate that apathy is a frequent finding among patients with acute stroke lesions and may coexist with important emotional and cognitive poststroke disturbances.

Assessment of cerebrovascular disease in the Cardiovascular Health Study

The Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) is a longitudinal population-based study of coronary heart disease and stroke in men and women 65 years and older. The initial CHS cohort consisted of 5201 men and women recruited from a random sample of the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) Medicare eligibility lists in four communities in the United States. Extensive historical, physical, and laboratory evaluations were performed at the baseline examination in 1989 to 1990 to identify risk factors and subclinical disease. Periodic contacts are carried out to ascertain and verify incident cardiac and stroke events and their sequelae. Since only a short time has passed since entry of all the patients into the study, data are not available on time trends in the mortality rate of stroke, but we expect to contribute in this area in the years ahead. This article then is a description of the CHS, of methods of assessing stroke in the CHS cohort, and of prevalence of stroke and transient ischemic attacks at the initial examination.

Sonographic evaluation of carotid artery atherosclerosis in the elderly: relationship of disease severity to stroke and transient ischemic attack

Doppler and real-time ultrasound (US) were performed to evaluate the extent of atherosclerotic changes in the carotid artery and to assess their relationship to prevalent cerebrovascular disease. Real-time US scans and Doppler measurements of the carotid arteries were analyzed in 5,201 subjects aged 65 years or older. Severity of atherosclerotic lesions was associated with increased frequencies of hyperechoic, irregular, and heterogeneous textured lesions (P < .0001). The severity of internal carotid artery stenosis was associated with thickening of the intima-media layer of the common carotid artery wall (r = .37, P < .0001). A history of stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) was more likely when hyperechoic, heterogeneous, and irregular lesions were seen in the carotid artery. Internal carotid artery stenosis correlated better with prevalent stroke and TIA than did sonographic descriptions of plaque texture. However, the prevalence of hyperechoic, heterogeneous, and irregular lesions increased as the degree of internal carotid stenosis increased. On real-time images alone, the average of the internal carotid artery maximal wall thickness is the sonographic measure of atherosclerosis that enables the best prediction of prevalent stroke and TIA.

Brain infarction severity differs according to cardiac or arterial embolic source

We compared clinical and radiologic features between 246 cardiac embolism (EMB) and 66 arterial embolic (tandem arterial pathology [TAP]) patients selected from the 1,273 patients with cerebral infarction in the Stroke Data Bank. Diagnostic definitions accounted for the increased frequency of cardiac disease among patients with EMB compared with TAP (78.4% versus 29.3%), while transient ischemic attacks (32.3% versus 13.1%) and carotid artery bruit (15.1% versus 3.3%) were more prevalent in TAP than in EMB. Multiple logistic regression differentiated TAP and EMB further. The probability of a TAP diagnosis was increased by the CT finding of a superficial infarct alone (odds ratio [OR] = 4.6; 95% CI = 1.5 to 13.7) or by a higher admission hematocrit. The probability of EMB was greater in patients with an initial decreased consciousness (OR = 39.2; 95% CI = 4.0 to 381.3) or with an abnormal first CT (OR = 3.2; 95% CI = 1.2 to 8.6). These findings indicate that the two infarct subtypes differ in the location and extent of the cortical infarction, which argues for a smaller particle size, with smaller and more distal infarction in embolism from an arterial source compared with cardiogenic embolism.

Infarct topography and hemiparesis profiles with cerebral convexity infarction: the Stroke Data Bank

For the 183 of 1276 patients in the NINDS Stroke Data Bank with convexity infarction in the middle cerebral artery territory, the size of the infarct did not differ between the two sides but the location of the main site of the infarct differed: on the left side, it was centred in the inferior parietal region, and was mid-frontal on the right. There was a good correlation between infarct size and weakness severity whether estimated by overall motor function on one side, arm, or hand alone. There was a poor correlation, however, for lesion location (lower third, middle third or upper third on either side of the Rolandic fissure) and any of the specific syndromes of focal weakness, no two cases sharing the same lesion for the same syndrome and several cases sharing the same lesion with a different syndrome. The findings indicated a difference in weakness syndromes between the two hemispheres and great individual variation of the acute syndrome caused by a given site of focal infarction along the Rolandic convexity. These variations may explain some of the difficulties showing effects of a given therapeutic agent in studies of acute ischaemic stroke. Large sample sizes will be required for the reliable assessment of any treatment using currently popular clinical stroke scales.

Postoperative brainstem and cerebellar infarcts

OBJECTIVE

To study the clinical features and causes of postoperative brainstem and cerebellar infarcts.

METHODS

Two groups were studied. The 10 group 1 patients had cardiac (eight) or aortic (two) surgery. The 12 group 2 patients had noncardiac-nonvascular surgery, including orthopedic (five), gynecologic (four), and general (three). Patients were studied by stroke services at university hospitals in Boston (13), Charlottesville (three), Baltimore (three), and Mainz (three) during 2 consecutive years.

RESULTS

Onset of strokes was immediately postoperative (six), during the first 48 postoperative hours (nine), and delayed 3 days or more (seven). Clinical syndromes were altered level of consciousness or cognition (15), vestibulocerebellar (four), and hemiparesis with focal brainstem signs (three). Infarction involved the brainstem (13), cerebellum (13), and posterior cerebral artery hemispheric territory (10). Causes: In group 1, five infarcts were due to cardiogenic embolism and three to embolism from the aorta. One patient had a postoperative pontine lacunar infarct and one developed an infarct in the territory of a known stenotic basilar artery. In group 2, one patient had vertebral artery injury from instrumentation, one had medical complications with severe hemorrhage and hypotension, and 10 most likely had position-related vertebral artery thromboses.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with postoperative brainstem and cerebellar infarcts present with altered consciousness or vestibulocerebellar syndromes. The major cause of brain infarcts after cardiac surgery is embolism from the heart and aorta. The causes of infarction after general surgery are less clear, but neck positioning during or after surgery may play an important role by promoting thrombi in compressed arteries that later embolize intracranially when neck motion becomes free.

Pathological laughing and crying following stroke: validation of a measurement scale and a double-blind treatment study

OBJECTIVE

This study was undertaken to test the reliability and validity of the Pathological Laughter and Crying Scale and the effectiveness of nortriptyline treatment for patients with emotional lability following stroke.

METHOD

Eighty-two patients with ischemic brain injury-54 who had been hospitalized with acute stroke and 28 others who requested treatment for pathological laughing and crying--were given standardized psychiatric and neurological assessments and then administered the Pathological Laughter and Crying Scale. The 54 acute stroke patients were used to evaluate the Pathological Laughter and Crying Scale, and the 28 patients with pathological emotional display were randomly assigned to nortriptyline treatment or placebo in a 6-week double-blind trial to assess the efficacy of a tricyclic antidepressant in treatment of this disorder.

RESULTS

The interrater reliability on the Pathological Laughter and Crying Scale for a subgroup of 15 patients was 0.93, and the test-retest reliability of the scale was excellent. After 4 and 6 weeks of treatment, scores on the Pathological Laughter and Crying Scale showed significantly greater improvement in the 14 patients given nortriptyline than in the 14 given placebo. Although almost one-half of these patients also had major depression, the improvement in emotional lability was independent of depression status. In addition, response to treatment was not significantly affected by lesion location or time since stroke.

CONCLUSIONS

The severity of symptoms in pathological emotional display can be reliably quantified with the Pathological Laughter and Crying Scale, and treatment with nortriptyline can effectively ameliorate this emotional disorder.

Generalized anxiety disorder after stroke

A series of 309 admissions to a stroke unit was examined for anxiety symptoms. Patients were diagnosed with DSM-III-R generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptom criteria. They were divided into groups of no anxiety (59.2%), worried but not fulfilling GAD criteria (13.9%), and GAD (26.9%). Patients were then divided into depressed and nondepressed groups based on the existence of DSM-III major or minor (dysthymic) depression. These groups were not significantly different in their background characteristics, family or personal psychiatric history, social support or the severity of physical impairment. Anxiety plus depression was associated with left cortical lesions, whereas anxiety alone was associated with right hemisphere lesions. Patients with worry had anterior and patients with GAD had posterior right hemisphere lesions. These findings suggest that anxiety disorder (independent of depression) is not related to background characteristics or to severity of impairment but is, in part, influenced by the brain structures that are injured.