Mechanical Thrombectomy in Pediatric Large Vessel Occlusions Before Cerebrovascular Maturity: A Case Report and Technical Note.

Pediatric arterial ischemic stroke is a rare but increasingly acknowledged disorder. Large vessel occlusions in this population have been treated off-label with endovascular thrombectomy. However, there is limited evidence to guide management. Small children, before the age of five when the cerebrovasculature reaches adult size, present additional challenges. We report the case of cardioembolic basilar occlusion in a two-year-old and the technical details of endovascular management, currently lacking in published literature. We employed a 5 French slender sheath, typically used for radial access, as a femoral short sheath. We accessed the dominant vertebral artery with a 5 French intermediate catheter, navigated with a typical 0.027-inch microcatheter and 0.014-inch microwire, and performed direct aspiration thrombectomy of the basilar clot. No closure device was employed. The patient had a near-complete and durable recovery. Small children present additional challenges for the endovascular management of stroke. Pre-procedural imaging can be used to design an aspiration-capable system appropriate for the child's size. Endovascular thrombectomy in children is feasible with some modifications to adult protocols.

Low-Profile Visualized Intraluminal Support Junior Flow-Diversion Properties Used for Stabilization of a Superior Cerebellar Artery Pseudoaneurysm.

BACKGROUND: Pseudoaneurysms of the posterior circulation pose a unique management challenge. The fragile nature of the pseudoaneurysm wall presents a high risk of rupture and demands treatment. Small vasculature, particularly distal in the posterior circulation, can preclude management with traditional flow diverters, where the alternative of vessel sacrifice is unacceptable. Small stents can have flow-diversion properties and can be used in these high-risk, difficult-to-access aneurysms. METHODS: We describe a 40-year-old woman presenting with a ruptured dissecting right superior cerebellar artery pseudoaneurysm after minor trauma. Given the aneurysm's small size and morphology, it was not amenable to coiling and parent vessel sacrifice was potentially morbid. The pseudoaneurysm was initially stabilized with a Low-Profile Visualized Intraluminal Support Junior (LVIS Jr.) stent due to its reported flow-diverting properties. RESULTS: At six-month follow-up the pseudoaneurysm was stable and the vasospasm had resolved. At this point, definitive treatment with a "FRED Jr." (Flow Re-Direction Endoluminal Device Junior) flow diverter was pursued. Complete obliteration of the pseudoaneurysm was seen at 12 months' follow-up after staged treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the unique challenges associated with ruptured pseudoaneurysms located on small-caliber vessels, the options for definitive treatment are limited. The small size of the LVIS Jr. stent and its flow-diverting properties make it a practical treatment option in a difficult situation. This case report provides further support for the flow-diverting properties of the LVIS Jr. and its potential application in the treatment of ruptured pseudoaneurysms in small-caliber intracranial vessels.

Patient Satisfaction With Medical Student Participation in a Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship: A Controlled Trial.

PURPOSE: To determine whether longitudinal student involvement improves patient satisfaction with care. METHOD: The authors conducted a satisfaction survey of patients followed by 10 University of Minnesota Medical School students enrolled in 2016-2017 in the Veterans Affairs Longitudinal Undergraduate Medical Education (VALUE) program, a longitudinal integrated clerkship at the Minneapolis Veterans Health Care System. Students were embedded in an ambulatory practice with primary preceptors who assigned students a panel of 14 to 32 patients to follow longitudinally in inpatient and outpatient settings. Control patients, matched on disease severity, were chosen from the preceptor's panel. Two to five months after the students completed the VALUE program, the authors conducted a phone survey of the VALUE and control patients using a validated, customized questionnaire. RESULTS: Results are reported from 97 VALUE patients (63% response rate) and 72 controls (47% response rate) who had similar baseline characteristics. Compared with control patients, VALUE patients reported greater satisfaction with explanations provided by their health care provider, their provider's knowledge of their personal history, and their provider's looking out for their best interests (P < .05). Patients in the VALUE panel selected the top category more often than control patients for overall satisfaction with their health care (65% vs 43%, P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this controlled trial demonstrate that VALUE student longitudinal participation in patient care improves patient satisfaction and patient-perceived quality of health care for VALUE patients compared with controls matched by primary care provider and disease severity. These findings may have implications outside the Veterans Administration population.

Accuracy of left ventricular ejection fraction by contemporary multiple gated acquisition scanning in patients with cancer: comparison with cardiovascular magnetic resonance.

BACKGROUND: Multiple gated acquisition scanning (MUGA) is a common imaging modality for baseline and serial assessment of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) for cardiotoxicity risk assessment prior to, surveillance during, and surveillance after administration of potentially cardiotoxic cancer treatment. The objective of this study was to compare the accuracy of left ventricular ejection fractions (LVEF) obtained by contemporary clinical multiple gated acquisition scans (MUGA) with reference LVEFs from cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) in consecutive patients with cancer. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, we compared MUGA clinical and CMR reference LVEFs in 75 patients with cancer who had both studies within 30 days. Misclassification was assessed using the two most common thresholds of LVEF used in cardiotoxicity clinical studies and practice: 50 and 55%. RESULTS: Compared to CMR reference LVEFs, MUGA clinical LVEFs were only lower by a mean of 1.5% (48.5% vs. 50.0%, p = 0.17). However, the limits of agreement between MUGA clinical and CMR reference LVEFs were wide at -19.4 to 16.5%. At LVEF thresholds of 50 and 55%, there was misclassification of 35 and 20% of cancer patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: MUGA clinical LVEFs are only modestly accurate when compared with CMR reference LVEFs. These data have significant implications on clinical research and patient care of a population with, or at risk for, cardiotoxicity.

Racial Differences in Bone Microarchitecture and Estimated Strength at the Distal Radius and Distal Tibia in Older Adolescent Girls: a Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have demonstrated that an individual's race and ethnicity are important determinants of their areal bone mineral density (aBMD), assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. However, there are few data assessing the impact of race on bone microarchitecture and strength estimates, particularly in older adolescent girls and young adults. We hypothesized that bone microarchitecture and strength estimates would be superior in Blacks compared to White and Asian American adolescent girls and young adults of similar age based on reports of higher aBMD in Blacks. METHODS: We assessed BMD using dual-energy X-ray absoptiometry (DXA), bone microarchitecture at the distal radius and distal tibia using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HRpQCT) and estimated measures of bone strength using micro-finite element analysis (FEA) in 35 White, 15 Asian American, and 10 Black girls 14-21 years. RESULTS: After controlling for height, most DXA measures of aBMD and aBMD Z scores were higher in Black girls compared with Whites and Asian Americans. HRpQCT and FEA showed that at the distal radius, Blacks had greater cortical perimeter, cortical area, trabecular thickness, trabecular BMD, estimated failure load, and stiffness than the other two groups. For the distal tibia, trabecular number and BMD were higher in Blacks than Asian Americans. CONCLUSIONS: Particularly at the distal radius, adolescent and young adult White and Asian American girls have less favorable bone microarchitecture and lower bone strength than Blacks, possibly explaining the lower risk of fracture seen in Blacks. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II.

Irisin levels are lower in young amenorrheic athletes compared with eumenorrheic athletes and non-athletes and are associated with bone density and strength estimates.

Irisin and FGF21 are novel hormones implicated in the "browning" of white fat, thermogenesis, and energy homeostasis. However, there are no data regarding these hormones in amenorrheic athletes (AA) (a chronic energy deficit state) compared with eumenorrheic athletes (EA) and non-athletes. We hypothesized that irisin and FGF21 would be low in AA, an adaptive response to low energy stores. Furthermore, because (i) brown fat has positive effects on bone, and (ii) irisin and FGF21 may directly impact bone, we hypothesized that bone density, structure and strength would be positively associated with these hormones in athletes and non-athletes. To test our hypotheses, we studied 85 females, 14-21 years [38 AA, 24 EA and 23 non-athletes (NA)]. Fasting serum irisin and FGF21 were measured. Body composition and bone density were assessed using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, bone microarchitecture using high resolution peripheral quantitative CT, strength estimates using finite element analysis, resting energy expenditure (REE) using indirect calorimetry and time spent exercising/week by history. Subjects did not differ for pubertal stage. Fat mass was lowest in AA. AA had lower irisin and FGF21 than EA and NA, even after controlling for fat and lean mass. Across subjects, irisin was positively associated with REE and bone density Z-scores, volumetric bone mineral density (total and trabecular), stiffness and failure load. FGF21 was negatively associated with hours/week of exercise and cortical porosity, and positively with fat mass and cortical volumetric bone density. Associations of irisin (but not FGF21) with bone parameters persisted after controlling for potential confounders. In conclusion, irisin and FGF21 are low in AA, and irisin (but not FGF21) is independently associated with bone density and strength in athletes.