Net water uptake in predicting the development of malignant edema in patients of acute large hemispheric infarction / 中华神经科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the value of net water uptake (NWU) in predicting malignant edema (ME) in large hemispheric infarction (LHI).Methods:Fifty-six patients suffering from LHI in the General Hospital of Northern Theater Command from September 2017 to July 2018 were retrospectively analyzed, and their NWU was calculated separately. Patients were divided into two groups according to the occurrence of ME, which was defined as space-occupying infarct requiring decompressive craniectomy or death resulting from cerebral hernia in seven days from onset. The clinical characteristics were analyzed, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and respective area under curve (AUC) were used to assess the value of NWU and other factors.Results:After adjusting for atrial fibrillation, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores at admission, and time from onset to imaging, multivariable analysis showed that NWU was an independent predictor of ME ( OR=1.226，95% CI 1.040-1.446, P=0.015). According to the ROC curve, NWU≥13.08% identified ME with great predictive power (AUC=0.813;sensitivity 0.64, specificity 0.94). Conclusions:NWU is an important predictor of ME in patients with LHI. It can help identify patients at risk of ME.