Left ventricular ejection fraction and right atrial diameter are associated with deep regional CBF in arteriosclerotic cerebral small vessel disease

Left ventricular systolic dysfunction predicts clinical prognosis in patients with acute ischemic stroke after intravenous thrombolysis

BACKGROUND

Although intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) thrombolysis is the most effective early treatment for acute ischemic stroke (AIS), outcomes vary greatly among patients. Left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) is prone to distant organ ischemia and may be a predictor for poor prognosis in AIS patients undergoing intravenous thrombolysis (IVT). Our aim was to investigate the predictivity of LVSD diagnosis (as measured by left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)) on 90-day clinical outcomes in AIS patients undergoing thrombolysis.

METHODS

The current prospective cohort study continuously enrolled 273 AIS patients from the National Stroke Prevention and Treatment Engineering Management Special Database who underwent IVT and completed echocardiography within 24 h of admission between 2021 and 2023. LVSD was examined by evaluation of the echocardiographic LVEF values using Simpson's biplane method of discs in line with international guidelines, and defined as a LVEF value < 50%. Multivariable ordinal logistic regression model was performed to analyze the association between LVEF and functional outcome at 3 months. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) was used to examine the shape of the dose-response association between reduced LVEF and poor functional outcomes. Subgroup analysis was also employed to further verify the reliability and practicability of the results.

RESULTS

Baseline data analysis showed LVSD patients had more comorbidities including on multivariate analyses, LVSD (OR 2.78, 95% CI 1.23 to 6.24, P=0.014), pre-existing diabetes mellitus (OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.11 to 3.90, P=0.023) and NIHSS on arrival (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.21 to 1.49, P<0.001) were independent predictors of poor functional outcomes (mRS ≥ 3) at 3 months. Multivariable-adjusted spline regression indicated a linear dose-response association between LVEF after IVT and poor functional outcomes (p for linearity < 0.001), with the optimal cutoff values of LVEF being 0.48.

CONCLUSIONS

Our finding indicated that AIS patients with LVSD after IVT had poorer outcomes, suggesting the need to monitor and optimize LVEF in stroke management.

Echocardiographic correlates of MRI imaging markers of cerebral small-vessel disease in patients with atrial-fibrillation-related ischemic stroke

Background and objectives

Atrial fibrillation (AF) has been linked to dementia risk, partly explained by cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). Since AF and cardiovascular comorbidities were associated with cardiac dysfunction, we aimed to determine the association between echocardiographic parameters and neuroimaging markers of CSVD in patients with AF-related ischemic stroke.

Methods

This cross-sectional study enrolled patients with AF-related ischemic stroke from March 2013 to December 2019 who underwent transthoracic echocardiography and brain 3T MRI, including T1, T2, Flair, and SWI imaging sequences. We assessed the presence of lacunes and cerebellar microbleeds (CMBs), the severity of white matter hyperintensity (WMH) scored by the Fazekas scale (0-6), and the severity of enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVS) in basal ganglia (BG) and centrum semiovale (CSO) classified into three categories (0-10, 10-25, and >25). CSVD burden was rated on a 0-to-4 ordinal scale. Generalized linear regression analysis and post hoc comparisons with Bonferroni correction were performed to assess the association between various echocardiographic parameters and these lesions, adjusted for demographics and potential confounders.

Results

119 patients (68.38 ± 12.692 years; male 45.4 %) were included for analysis, of whom 55 (46.2%) had lacunes, 40 (33.6%) had CMBs, and median severity for WMH, BG-EPVS, CSO-EPVS, and CSVD burden were 2 (IQR: 1-3), 1 (IQR: 1-2), 1 (IQR: 0-1), and 1 (IQR: 1-2) respectively. In multivariable, fully adjusted models, left ventricular posterior wall thickness (LVPW) was associated with a higher risk of lacunes (RR 1.899, 95% CI: 1.342-2.686) and CSVD burden (RR = 2.081, 95%CI: 1.562-2.070). Right atrial diameter (RAD) was associated with greater CSO-EPVS (RR = 2.243, 95%CI: 1.234-4.075). No echocardiographic parameters were revealed to be associated with CMBs and WMH.

Conclusion

In patients with AF-related ischemic stroke, LVPW is associated with a higher risk of lacunes and CSVD burden, while RAD was associated with greater CSO-EPVS. Larger studies are required to determine these associations and to elucidate if these associations can help facilitate cognitive evaluation and brain MRI screening.

Perfusion heterogeneity of cerebral small vessel disease revealed via arterial spin labeling MRI and machine learning

Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is associated with altered cerebral perfusion. However, global and regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) are highly heterogeneous across CSVD patients. The aim of this study was to identify subtypes of CSVD with different CBF patterns using an advanced machine learning approach. 121 CSVD patients and 53 healthy controls received arterial spin label MRI, T1 structural MRI and clinical measurements. Regional CBF were used to identify distinct perfusion subtypes of CSVD via a semi-supervised machine learning algorithm. Statistical analyses were used to explore alterations in CBF, clinical measures, gray and white matter volume between healthy controls and different subtypes of CSVD. Correlation analysis was used to assess the association between clinical measures and altered CBF in each CSVD subtype. Three subtypes of CSVD with distinct CBF patterns were found. Subtype 1 showed decreased CBF in the temporal lobe and increased CBF in the parietal and occipital lobe. Subtype 2 exhibited decreased CBF in the right hemisphere of the brain, and increased CBF in the left cerebrum. Subtype 3 demonstrated decreased CBF in the posterior part of the brain, and increased CBF in anterior part of the brain. The three subtypes also differed significantly in gender (p = 0.005), the proportion of subjects with lacune (p = 0.002), with periventricular white matter hyperintensity (p = 0.043), and CSVD burden score (p = 0.048). In subtype 3, it was found that widespread decreased CBF was correlated with total CSVD burden score (r = -0.324, p = 0.029). Compared with healthy controls, the three CSVD subtypes also showed distinct volumetric patterns of white matter. The current results associate different subtypes with different clinical and imaging phenotypes, which can improve the understanding of brain perfusion alterations of CSVD and can facilitate precision diagnosis of CSVD.