2022 Update of the Korean Clinical Practice Guidelines for Stroke: Antithrombotic Therapy for Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack / 대한뇌졸중학회지

Antithrombotic therapy is a cornerstone of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) management and secondary stroke prevention. Since the first version of the Korean Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) for stroke was issued in 2009, significant progress has been made in antithrombotic therapy for patients with AIS, including dual antiplatelet therapy in acute minor ischemic stroke or high-risk transient ischemic stroke and early oral anticoagulation in AIS with atrial fibrillation. The evidence is widely accepted by stroke experts and has changed clinical practice. Accordingly, the CPG Committee of the Korean Stroke Society (KSS) decided to update the Korean Stroke CPG for antithrombotic therapy for AIS. The writing members of the CPG committee of the KSS reviewed recent evidence, including clinical trials and relevant literature, and revised recommendations. A total of 35 experts were invited from the KSS to reach a consensus on the revised recommendations. The current guideline update aims to assist healthcare providers in making well-informed decisions and improving the quality of acute stroke care. However, the ultimate treatment decision should be made using a holistic approach, considering the specific medical conditions of individual patients.

Impact of Dementia on Mortality Due to Coronavirus Disease 2019: Propensity-Score-Matching Study

Background@#and Purpose Patients with dementia are particularly vulnerable to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) because they tend to be older and often have concomitant diseases. Previous studies have investigated the impact of dementia on COVID-19 outcomes, but the evidence is not robust for Asian populations. We aimed to determine the relationship between dementia and COVID-19 outcomes using data from a large-scale nationwide public database. @*Methods@#Data on patients with COVID-19 who were released from quarantine between January 1, 2020 and April 30, 2020, published by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, were divided into two groups based on the dementia status. Propensity-score matching was used to adjust for multiple confounders between the dementia and no-dementia groups. Binary, ordinal logistic regression and multivariate Cox proportional-hazards models were used to compare mortality, quarantine duration, and clinical deterioration according to the dementia status in the two groups. @*Results@#Males and older individuals (age ≥60 years) constituted 41.5% and 32.9%, respectively, of the 5,299 patients. The prevalence of dementia was 4.2%, and 4.5% of the participants died during hospitalization. In multivariate analysis, dementia was significantly associated with increased mortality (odds ratio [OR]=2.80, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.60–4.60), longer duration of quarantine (hazard ratio=1.69, 95% CI=1.16–2.45), and larger shift to a worse clinical severity (common OR=1.74, 95% CI=1.18–2.61). @*Conclusions@#After adjusting for important clinical predictors, dementia was associated with increased in-hospital mortality, duration of quarantine, and clinical deterioration during hospitalization in COVID-19 patients.

An Implementation of Natural Language Processing and Text Mining in Stroke Research

Natural language processing (NLP) is a computerized approach to analyzing text that explores how computers can be used to understand and manipulate natural language text or speech to do useful things. In healthcare field, these NLP techniques are applied in a variety of applications, ranging from evaluating the adequacy of treatment, assessing the presence of the acute illness, and the other clinical decision support. After converting text into computer-readable data through the text preprocessing process, an NLP can extract valuable information using the rule-based algorithm, machine learning, and neural network. We can use NLP to distinguish subtypes of stroke or accurately extract critical clinical information such as severity of stroke and prognosis of patients, etc. If these NLP methods are actively utilized in the future, they will be able to make the most of the electronic health records to enable optimal medical judgment.

An Implementation of Natural Language Processing and Text Mining in Stroke Research

Natural language processing (NLP) is a computerized approach to analyzing text that explores how computers can be used to understand and manipulate natural language text or speech to do useful things. In healthcare field, these NLP techniques are applied in a variety of applications, ranging from evaluating the adequacy of treatment, assessing the presence of the acute illness, and the other clinical decision support. After converting text into computer-readable data through the text preprocessing process, an NLP can extract valuable information using the rule-based algorithm, machine learning, and neural network. We can use NLP to distinguish subtypes of stroke or accurately extract critical clinical information such as severity of stroke and prognosis of patients, etc. If these NLP methods are actively utilized in the future, they will be able to make the most of the electronic health records to enable optimal medical judgment.

Causes, Risk Factors, and Clinical Outcomes of Stroke in Korean Young Adults: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus is Associated with Unfavorable Outcomes

Background@#and Purpose: The incidence of ischemic stroke (IS) in young adults is increasing, and the associated large socioeconomic impact makes understanding IS in young adults important. We investigated the causes of and risk factors for IS in young adults, and their impact on outcomes. @*Methods@#The Stroke in Korean Young Adults (SKY) study is a standardized multicenter prospective study involving eight medical centers of the Republic of Korea. First-ever IS patients aged 18 years to 44 years were prospectively included in this study within 7 days of stroke onset.Their outcomes at 3 months were analyzed. @*Results@#This study enrolled 270 patients from April 2014 to December 2018, most (67.8%) of whom were male. About 41.5% of the patients had one or more vascular risk factors from among hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia. However, only half of them had received regular treatment. Arterial dissection was more common in males, and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and Moyamoya disease were more common in females. The outcome was favorable (modified Rankin Scale score of 0 or 1) in 81.9% of the patients at 3 months after stroke onset. More severe initial symptoms, higher initial glucose level, and SLE as a comorbidity were associated with unfavorable outcomes. @*Conclusions@#Young adult IS patients in Korea exhibit low awareness and poor management of their risk factors. Although the short-term outcome was relatively favorable in those patients, having SLE was associated with unfavorable outcomes. More attention needs to be paid for improving awareness and controlling risk factors in this population.

Executive Summary of Stroke Statistics in Korea 2018: A Report from the Epidemiology Research Council of the Korean Stroke Society / 대한뇌졸중학회지

Despite the great socioeconomic burden of stroke, there have been few reports of stroke statistics in Korea. In this scenario, the Epidemiologic Research Council of the Korean Stroke Society launched the “Stroke Statistics in Korea” project, aimed at writing a contemporary, comprehensive, and representative report on stroke epidemiology in Korea. This report contains general statistics of stroke, prevalence of behavioral and vascular risk factors, stroke characteristics, pre-hospital system of care, hospital management, quality of stroke care, and outcomes. In this report, we analyzed the most up-to-date and nationally representative databases, rather than performing a systematic review of existing evidence. In summary, one in 40 adults are patients with stroke and 232 subjects per 100,000 experience a stroke event every year. Among the 100 patients with stroke in 2014, 76 had ischemic stroke, 15 had intracerebral hemorrhage, and nine had subarachnoid hemorrhage. Stroke mortality is gradually declining, but it remains as high as 30 deaths per 100,000 individuals, with regional disparities. As for stroke risk factors, the prevalence of smoking is decreasing in men but not in women, and the prevalence of alcohol drinking is increasing in women but not in men. Population-attributable risk factors vary with age. Smoking plays a role in young-aged individuals, hypertension and diabetes in middle-aged individuals, and atrial fibrillation in the elderly. About four out of 10 hospitalized patients with stroke are visiting an emergency room within 3 hours of symptom onset, and only half use an ambulance. Regarding acute management, the proportion of patients with ischemic stroke receiving intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular treatment was 10.7% and 3.6%, respectively. Decompressive surgery was performed in 1.4% of patients with ischemic stroke and in 28.1% of those with intracerebral hemorrhage. The cumulative incidence of bleeding and fracture at 1 year after stroke was 8.9% and 4.7%, respectively. The direct costs of stroke were about ₩1.68 trillion (KRW), of which ₩1.11 trillion were for ischemic stroke and ₩540 billion for hemorrhagic stroke. The great burden of stroke in Korea can be reduced through more concentrated efforts to control major attributable risk factors for age and sex, reorganize emergency medical service systems to give patients with stroke more opportunities for reperfusion therapy, disseminate stroke unit care, and reduce regional disparities. We hope that this report can contribute to achieving these tasks.

Influence of Anesthesia Type on Outcomes after Endovascular Treatment in Acute Ischemic Stroke: Meta-Analysis / 신경중재치료의학

PURPOSE: To assess clinical and angiographic outcomes after endovascular treatment (EVT) in ischemic stroke patients according to anesthesia types (general anesthesia vs. conscious sedation). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic literature review through an online data base between January 1990 and September 2017 was performed. A fixed effect model was used in cases of <50% heterogeneity. The primary outcomes were good clinical outcome at the 3-month follow-up and successful recanalization. A meta-regression analysis was done to estimate primary outcomes of log odds ratio (OR) on onset-to-puncture time (OTP) differences. Publication bias was determined using Begg’s funnel plot and additional the Trim and Fill method. RESULTS: Sixteen articles including 2,662 patients (general anesthesia, n=1,275; conscious sedation, n=1,387) were included. General anesthesia significantly decreased good outcomes than conscious sedation (OR, 0.564; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.354–0.899). However, outcomes did not differ significantly in randomized controlled trials (RCTs; OR, 1.101; 95% CI, 0.395–3.071). Anesthesia type was not associated with successful recanalization (OR, 0.985; 95% CI, 0.787–1.233). General anesthesia increased the risk of mortality (OR, 1.532; 95% CI, 1.187–1.976) and pneumonia (OR, 1.613; 95% CI, 1.172–2.221), but not symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (OR, 1.125; 95% CI, 0.767–1.652). The meta-regression analysis showed no linear relationship between OTP differences and log OR of good outcome (coefficient, 0.0004; P=0.95) or successful recanalization (coefficient, 0.0005; P=0.94), respectively. CONCLUSION: General anesthesia seemed to be associated with adverse clinical outcome after EVT. However, its efficacy was not demonstrated in RCTs. Successful recanalization did not differ according to anesthesia type. Studies using individual patient data based on further RCTs are necessary to elucidate anesthesia effect on procedural and clinical outcomes.

Blood Pressure Variability and Outcome in Patients with Acute Nonlobar Intracerebral Hemorrhage following Intensive Antihypertensive Treatment / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>Background:</b>Blood pressure (BP) variability has been associated with stroke risk. We elucidated the association between systolic BP (SBP) variation and outcomes in patients with nonlobar intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) following intensive antihypertensive treatment upfront.</p><p><b>Methods</b>We screened consecutive patients with spontaneous ICH who underwent intensive antihypertensive treatments targeting BP <140 mmHg between 2008 and 2016. SBPs were monitored hourly during the acute period (≤7 days after symptom onset) in the intensive care unit. SBP variability was determined in terms of range, standard deviation (SD), coefficient of variation (CoV), and mean absolute change (MAC). The primary outcomes included hematoma growth and poor clinical outcome at 3 months (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] score ≥3. The secondary outcome was an ordinal shift in mRS at 3 months.</p><p><b>Results</b>A total of 104 individuals (mean age, 63.0 ± 13.5 years; male, 57.7%) were included in this study. In multivariable model, MAC (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.11; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02-1.21; P = 0.012) rather than the range of SD or CoV, was significantly associated with hematoma growth even after adjusting for mean SBP level. Sixty-eight out of 104 patients (65.4%) had a poor clinical outcome at 3 months. SD and CoV of SBP were significantly associated with a 3-month poor clinical outcome even after adjusting for mean SBP. In addition, in multivariable ordinal logistic models, the MAC of SBP was significantly associated with higher shift of mRS at 3 months (adjusted OR, 1.08; 95% CI: 1.02-1.15; P = 0.008).</p><p><b>Conclusions:</b>The MAC of SBP is associated with hematoma growth, and SD and COV are correlated with 3-month poor outcome in patients with supratentorial nonlobar ICH. Therefore, sustained SBP control, with a reduction in SBP variability is essential to reinforce the beneficial effect of intensive antihypertensive treatment.</p>

Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Subacute Combined degeneration

No abstract available.

Vascular Hyperemia and Crossed Cerebellar Diaschisis in MELAS Patient Presented as Stroke-Like Episode and Seizure

Mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) is one of the mitochondrial disorders that can present as a stroke-like episode or seizure. Although the pathophysiology of MELAS remains inconclusive, the main possibilities are thus far thought to be mitochondrial cytopathy and angiopathy. This case report describes a 61-year-old woman diagnosed with MELAS who presented simultaneously with vascular hyperemia and crossed cerebellar diaschisis.

Vascular Hyperemia and Crossed Cerebellar Diaschisis in MELAS Patient Presented as Stroke-Like Episode and Seizure

Mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) is one of the mitochondrial disorders that can present as a stroke-like episode or seizure. Although the pathophysiology of MELAS remains inconclusive, the main possibilities are thus far thought to be mitochondrial cytopathy and angiopathy. This case report describes a 61-year-old woman diagnosed with MELAS who presented simultaneously with vascular hyperemia and crossed cerebellar diaschisis.

A Quantitative Comparison of the Vertebral Artery and Transverse Foramen Using CT Angiography

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The vertebral artery (VA) is important for the development of the transverse foramen (TF). Most studies of these structures have focused on anatomical anomalies. Therefore, we investigated quantitatively the association between the relative sizes of the TF and VA. METHODS: We recruited a consecutive series of subjects who underwent CT angiography to estimate the relative sizes of the VA and TF in axial source images. Two neurologists independently reviewed the axial CT images of 208 patients who had no history of transient ischemic attack or stroke. Averaged areas of the VA and TF were defined by the sum of the areas at each level from C3 to C6, divided by 4. Correlation analyses were adjusted for age, sex, and vascular risk factors. RESULTS: The mean age of the subjects was 53 years. The interobserver and intraobserver reliabilities of TF size were good. There was a linear relationship between the sizes of the VA and TF on each side (right side: r2=0.58, p<0.001; left side: r2=0.62, p<0.001). The area of the VA was significantly associated with that of the TF after adjusting for vascular risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: The size of the VA is strongly and linearly correlated with the size of the TF. These findings suggest that measurement of the TF and VA with CT angiography is a reliable method for evaluating VA diseases, and may provide new insight into the differentiation between VA hypoplasia and atherosclerosis of the VA.