Silent cerebral infarcts in patients with pulmonary embolism and a patent foramen ovale: a prospective diffusion-weighted MRI study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Pulmonary embolism is thought to be associated with a small but definite risk of paradoxical embolism in patients with a patent foramen ovale (PFO). Although neurological complications are infrequent, the incidence of clinically silent brain infarction is unknown. We assessed the rate of clinically apparent and silent cerebral embolism in patients with pulmonary embolism in relation to the presence or not of a PFO. METHODS: We used diffusion-weighted MRI in patients hospitalized for a pulmonary embolism to assess cerebral embolic events. Sixty consecutive patients were evaluated at diffusion-weighted MRI. All patients underwent neurological assessment before diffusion-weighted MRI and a contrast echocardiography to detect PFO the next day. RESULTS: Diffusion-weighted MRI showed bright lesions in 6 patients among the 60 consecutive patients with pulmonary embolism in a pattern consistent with embolic events. There was only one patient with a neurological deficit. After contrast echocardiography, a PFO was diagnosed in 15 patients (25%). The frequency of silent brain infarcts in patients with a PFO was significantly higher than in patients without PFO (5 [33.3%] of 15 versus one [2.2%] of 45 patients, P=0.003). By logistic regression analysis, PFO was identified as an independent predictor of silent brain infarcts (OR, 34.9 [3.1 to 394.3]; P=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: In pulmonary embolism, cerebral embolic events are more frequent than the apparent neurological complication rate. The prevalence of silent brain infarcts is closely related to the presence of a PFO suggesting a high incidence of unsuspected paradoxical emboli in those patients.

[Statin in prevention of periprocedural myonecrosis after percutaneous coronary angioplasty: systematic review and meta-analysis]. / Intérêt des statines dans la prévention des infarctus postangioplastie coronaire: revue systématique et méta-analyse.

Postprocedural myocardial necrosis as indicated by biomarkers increase is frequent after percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in up to 40% of cases. Pretreatment by statin could reduce the occurrence of those periprocedural myonecrosis. Medline and Cochrane Database screenings allow us to select articles published until March 2007. Sixteen prospective and retrospective studies have been identified in relation with the impact of statin pretreatment on periprocedural myonecrosis or morbimortality outcomes in patients who underwent PCI. Among selected studies, 12 provide the rate of periprocedural myocardial infarction. The relative risk (RR) of periprocedural myocardial necrosis in patients pretreated with statin was 0.50 (95% CI: 0.40-0.63). Among the 5409 patients with clinical follow-up ensured until six months, the RR of death in patients pretreated with statin before the PCI was 0.64 (95% CI: 0.44-0.93). Significant heterogeneity was observed in the results. In sensitivity analysis, stable and unstable patients were compared with similar RR reduction of periprocedural myonecrosis in favour of patients receiving statin before PCI. In the present meta-analysis, we confirm that statin pretreatment before PCI is able to reduce periprocedural myonecrosis and suggest a potential impact on six months survival of patients.

Risk of acute brain injury related to cerebral microembolism during cardiac catheterization performed by right upper limb arterial access.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The primary objective of this study was to assess the incidence of new cerebral infarcts related to cardiac catheterization in patients explored through the right transradial approach. METHODS: This prospective study involved 41 consecutive patients with severe aortic valve stenosis. To assess the incidence of cerebral infarction, all patients underwent cerebral diffusion-weighted MRI before and after cardiac catheterization through the right transradial approach. RESULTS: We detected only two patients (4.9%) with new, small, isolated acute cerebral diffusion abnormalities postcatheterization. All patients remained asymptomatic. CONCLUSIONS: New cerebral lesions on diffusion-weighted MRI are infrequent in patients explored through the right transradial approach. Randomized studies are warranted to confirm for potential advantages of transradial approach versus the femoral approach in cardiac catheterization.