Is it possible to predict the outcome of endovascular thrombectomy for hyperdense middle cerebral artery sign at the time of first admission?

BACKGROUND

The hyperdense middle cerebral artery sign (HMCAS) on admission non-contrast computed tomography (NCCT) is a well-characterized phenomenon in acute ischemic stroke.

AIM

The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of HMCAS on the outcome of patients who underwent endovascular thrombectomy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective analysis of a prospectively collective database included 136 consecutive patients with anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke who underwent endovascular thrombectomy. We collected the demographics, and clinical and brain imaging as well as functional and imaging outcomes data at baseline. Patients were divided into two groups with hyperdense artery sign and those without the sign. The difference between the two groups in terms of mortality and prognosis was analyzed.

RESULTS

There were 136 patients, 50.7% of them were women. The mean age was 59.1 years. The subgroup with HMCAS present consisted of 93 patients. There were no differences in demographics and clinical characteristics between the two groups; however, tobacco use is more common in patients with HMCAS. No significant difference was observed in clinical outcomes and mortality between the two groups at 3 months. Patients with HMCAS had statistically more new territory emboli during the procedure (9.7%) compared to patients without HMCAS.

CONCLUSION

We showed that the presence of HMCAS in initial CT was not helpful in predicting good clinical outcomes in patients undergoing endovascular therapy patients. However, the presence of HMCAS is related to more new territory embolism during the procedure. Different endovascular strategies may be applied to these patients.

Hyperdense middle cerebral artery sign predicts favorable outcome after decompressive craniectomy in patients with malignant middle cerebral artery infarction

BACKGROUND

Malignant middle cerebral artery infarction (MMI) is a life-threatening cerebral vascular event. Early decompressive craniectomy (DC) has proven to be an effective treatment strategy. However, the ideal candidate for DC continues to be debated.

PURPOSE

To investigate whether a hyperdense middle cerebral artery sign (HMCAS) provides prognostic value after DC in patients with MMI.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We reviewed clinical information and radiological parameters on computed tomography of 42 patients with MMI who underwent DC. Functional outcome was assessed according to the modified Rankin scale (mRS) at three months as follows: favorable outcome (mRS ≤ 4) versus unfavorable outcome (mRS > 4). Logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of functional outcome after DC in patients with MMI.

RESULTS

Age (odds ratio [OR] = 0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.78-0.97; P = 0.014) and HMCAS (OR = 7.40; 95% CI = 1.35-40.48; P = 0.021) were associated with functional outcome. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for predicting favorable outcome using the combination of age and HMCAS was 0.882, and the sensitivity and specificity were 0.947 and 0.696, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Patients with MMI with HMCAS, as well as younger patients, often showed a favorable outcome after DC in this study.

Intravenous thrombolysis for ischemic stroke with hyperdense middle cerebral artery sign: A meta-analysis

Hyperdense middle cerebral artery sign (HMCAS) on admitting to neuroimaging is reported to have prognostic value for poor outcomes after thrombolysis, while evidence from studies comprising a sufficiently large sample size is limited. To detect prognostic predictors after thrombolysis could help improve therapeutic clinical strategies for acute ischemic stroke. We included prospective and retrospective studies of stroke patients that were treated with intravenous thrombolysis, in which functional outcomes (ie, a modified Rankin scale [mRS]) and systematic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) were assessed in relation to HMCAS during pretreatment head CT. Random-effects models were used to calculate pooled risk ratios (RR) of poor outcomes and sICH for HMCAS patients as compared to patients without HMCAS. Eleven studies permitted identification of 11 818 patients. The risk of poor outcome at 3 months in the HMCAS-positive group was 1.56-fold the negative group (RR, 1.56; 95% CI 1.50-1.62; P < .001). The sICH risk when comparing both groups was found to be non-significant. Sensitivity analysis regarding studies performing thrombolysis within 3 hours also exhibited significant differences in their functional outcomes (RR, 1.56, 95% CI 1.49-1.62; P < .001) in patients with HMCAS as compared to non-HMCAS patients, although this was true for sICH risk. The presence of HMCAS on pretreatment CT predicts a poor outcome at 3 months after intravenous thrombolysis, while its relationship with the incidence of sICH was found to have no statistic value. Our study implies that more aggressive treatment should be considered for HMCAS patients.

Hyperdense large artery sign in meningitis: A marker of ominous thrombogenic potential of pneumococcus?

Hyperdensity in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) or posterior cerebral artery (PCA) on non-contrast head CT, suggests the presence of a thrombus inside these vessels, often referred to as the “MCA sign” or “PCA sign” respectively. These two signs are classically associated with strokes secondary to cardiovascular etiologies and are only infrequently reported with other types of stroke. Whereas stroke is a recognized complication of pneumococcal meningitis hyperdense large vessel sign (in this case a combination of MCA and PCA) has not been previously reported. We report a case of rapidly progressive pneumococcal meningitis that presented as acute stroke involving large vessels in the vicinity of the circle of Willis in a patient with a history of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in remission for 6 years. This patient had received a week of high dose steroids before admission. Head CT scan on admission showed the presence of hyperdense MCA and PCA signs. The patient rapidly deteriorated and a follow-up head CT revealed diffuse brain edema and increased density in the basal cisterns without evidence of sub arachnoid hemorrhage. Tc99m exametazime brain flow scan showed no intracerebral blood flow both supra and infratentorially. Steptococcus pneumoniae, NHL cells and high-dose steroid use can upregulate tissue factor synthesis and may have led to a hypercoagulable state via activation of the extrinsic pathway in the large intracerbral arteries.