Stroke in Airplane Passengers: A Study from a Large International Hub.

INTRODUCTION: Stroke in air travelers is being increasingly recognized. We report on stroke among passengers arriving at or transiting through a busy air travel hub. METHODS: The stroke database of the sole tertiary care center for stroke in a large busy international hub was interrogated. Demographic data of transit passengers, their stroke risk factors, stroke severity, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), acute stroke interventions, discharge status and outcome utilizing the Modified Raking scale (mRS) were retrieved and compared between passengers and non-passenger controls. RESULTS: Forty-three flight-related stroke patients were compared to 2564 non-passenger stroke patients. The mean age in the flight-related stroke group was 59.53±10.83 years, 30/43 (69.8%) were males. The stroke subtypes were ischemic in 30 (69.8%) patients, hemorrhagic in 9 (20.9%), and transient ischemic attack in 3 (7.0%), with one cerebral sinus venous thrombosis (2.3%). The mean NIHSS score was 7.79±6.44 in passengers, demonstrating moderate severity. Ten patients (23.3%) received thrombolysis, one (2.3%) received thrombectomy, and one (2.3%) received both thrombolysis and thrombectomy. Outcomes, 54.8% had a good outcome (mRS 0-2), and 45.2% had dependence/death (mRS 3-6). CONCLUSION: Air passengers with stroke were found to be older with more severe strokes and a higher probability of receiving acute stroke treatment compared to non-passengers. Increased awareness with appropriate and timely recognition and triaging of transit passengers with stroke is warranted.

Predictors of retinal atrophy in multiple sclerosis: A longitudinal study using spectral domain optical coherence tomography with segmentation analysis.

BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory demyelinating disease characterized by progressive axonal loss affecting mainly the inner retinal layers. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) provides in-vivo quantification of the retinal layers and allows measuring progressive retinal changes. Our objective was to assess the longitudinal changes in the retina using spectral domain OCT (SDOCT) and to identify independent predictors affecting retinal thinning in MS patients. METHODS: A prospective study in a tertiary care MS center was conducted to study the longitudinal retinal changes in MS patients. All subjects underwent baseline and follow up OCT assessment with segmentation analysis. Regression analysis was performed to assess clinical factors (age, sex, disease duration, history of optic neuritis before baseline, non-ocular clinical relapses) and MRI disease activity during the follow-up period. RESULTS: The study included 102 MS patients with a mean follow-up duration of 3.9 ± SD years. At the last follow-up assessments, there were significant thinning of the average macular thickness (AMT) (p < .001), macular nerve fiber layer (MRNFL) (p < .001), ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) (p < .001), and the peripapillary nerve fiber layer (PRNFL) (p < .001), compared to baseline. Early disease duration up to 10 years was associated with thinning of AMT, PRNFL, and GCIPL, while longer disease duration (> 15 years) was associated with only GCIPL thinning. Prior optic neuritis was predictive of more thinning of PRNFL (p = < .01), while MRI activity and female gender were significantly associated with more MRNFL thinning (p = < .01). CONCLUSION: MS is associated with longitudinal thinning affecting AMT inner retinal layers (MRNFL, GCIPL, PRNFL). Early disease duration, female gender, MRI activity, and prior optic neuritis were predictive of faster rate of neuro-axonal loss. This may have implications in the design of future therapeutic trials.

Optical coherence tomography segmentation analysis in relapsing remitting versus progressive multiple sclerosis.

INTRODUCTION: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) with retinal segmentation analysis is a valuable tool in assessing axonal loss and neuro-degeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS) by in-vivo imaging, delineation and quantification of retinal layers. There is evidence of deep retinal involvement in MS beyond the inner retinal layers. The ultra-structural retinal changes in MS in different MS phenotypes can reflect differences in the pathophysiologic mechanisms. There is limited data on the pattern of deeper retinal layer involvement in progressive MS (PMS) versus relapsing remitting MS (RRMS). We have compared the OCT segmentation analysis in patients with relapsing-remitting MS and progressive MS. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 113 MS patients (226 eyes) (29 PMS, 84 RRMS) and 38 healthy controls (72 eyes). Spectral domain OCT (SDOCT) using the macular cube acquisition protocol (Cirrus HDOCT 5000; Carl Zeiss Meditec) and segmentation of the retinal layers for quantifying the thicknesses of the retinal layers. Segmentation of the retinal layers was carried out utilizing Orion software (Voxeleron, USA) for quantifying the thicknesses of individual retinal layers. RESULTS: The retinal nerve finer layer (RNFL) (p = 0.023), the ganglion-cell/inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) (p = 0.006) and the outer plexiform layer (OPL) (p = 0.033) were significantly thinner in PMS compared to RRMS. There was significant negative correlation between the outer nuclear layer (ONL) and EDSS (r = -0.554, p = 0.02) in PMS patients. In RRMS patients with prior optic neuritis, the GCIPL correlated negatively (r = -0.317; p = 0.046), while the photoreceptor layer (PR) correlated positively with EDSS (r = 0.478; p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with PMS exhibit more atrophy of both the inner and outer retinal layers than RRMS. The ONL in PMS and the GCIPL and PR in RRMS can serve as potential surrogate of disease burden and progression (EDSS). The specific retinal layer predilection and its correlation with disability may reflect different pathophysiologic mechanisms and various stages of progression in MS.