Long-term follow-up of patients after carotid stenting with or without distal protective device in a single tertiary medical center.

Objective: To evaluate the immediate and long-term clinical outcomes after carotid artery stenting (CAS) with and without protection devices (PDs), compared with carotid endarterectomy (CEA).

Methods: A total of 116 patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis underwent CAS; 56 patients (48.3%) underwent CAS-PD; and 137 patients underwent CEA.

Lessons learned from 2 years experience in intravenous thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke in a single tertiary medical center.

Background: Intravenous tissue plasminogen activator has been approved treatment for acute (< or = 3 hours) ischemic stroke in Israel since late 2004. The Israeli experience with IV tPA is still limited. Several factors may influence the response to IV thrombolysis, including time-to-treatment parameters and tandem internal carotid artery/middle cerebral artery stenosis/occlusion.

Cerebral vasomotor reactivity and dementia after ischemic stroke.

Objectives: Cerebral hemodynamic features of patients with post-stroke dementia (PSD) are still obscure. We compared cerebral vasomotor reactivity (VMR) assessed in the acute phase of ischemic stroke (IS) in patients with and without PSD. VMR was also assessed and compared in demented and non-demented patients in the late phase of IS.

Cerebral vasomotor reactivity of patients with acute ischemic stroke: Cortical versus subcortical infarcts: an Israeli-Turkish collaborative study.

Background: Cerebral hemodynamic features of patients with different types of acute ischemic stroke are still obscure. We compared cerebral vasomotor reactivity (VMR) in acute cortical (CI) and subcortical (SI) brain infarcts.

Methods: Acute stroke patients (within 72 h of stroke onset) underwent transcranial Doppler and the Diamox test (1 g acetazolamide IV).

Inflammatory bowel disease is not associated with increased intimal media thickening.

Objectives: Several studies have suggested that chronic inflammatory diseases might be associated with an acceleration of the atherosclerotic process. There is little information on the effect of chronic inflammation in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) on the presence of increased intimal media thickening (IMT), a surrogate marker for atherosclerotic diseases. In this work our aim was to determine whether IBD is a risk factor for increased IMT.

A new scale for assessing patients with vertebrobasilar stroke-the Israeli Vertebrobasilar Stroke Scale (IVBSS): inter-rater reliability and concurrent validity.

Objectives: Most of existing stroke scoring systems have limited ability to evaluate patients with cerebrovascular events in the vertebrobasilar territory. We devised a new scale, the Israeli Vertebrobasilar Stroke Scale (IVBSS) in order to directly and more accurately assess clinical deficits of patients with vertebrobasilar stroke. The present study measured the reliability and validity of the IVBSS.

Cerebral vasomotor reactivity in Parkinson's disease, multiple system atrophy and pure autonomic failure.

Parkinson's disease (PD), multiple system atrophy (MSA) and pure autonomic failure (PAF) are neurodegenerative disorders frequently associated with orthostatic hypotension and syncope, though with different underlying mechanisms. Cerebral hemodynamic responses in these three neurodegenerative diseases are still incompletely studied and it is possible that they would be differentially affected. We measured blood flow velocity (BFV) in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and vertebral artery (VA) in patients with these disorders and investigated whether cerebral vasomotor reactivity (VMR) differs in these three disorders.

Stroke-in-evolution: infarct-inherent mechanisms versus systemic causes.

Background: It is uncertain whether deterioration after acute ischemic stroke is neurological and/or systemic (somatic) in origin.

Methods: 442 consecutive patients admitted with first-ever ischemic stroke (FIS) were assessed by the Unified Neurological Stroke Scale (UNSS) at admission, on hospitalization days 1, 2 and 3 and before discharge.

Results: Among 71/442 (16.

"Brain Screen": A self-referral, screening program for strokes, falls and dementia risk factors.

Background: Falls, strokes and dementia can be predicted and their occurrence can be delayed or even prevented by treatment of risk factors. The value of screening self-referred adults is unknown.

Objectives: To assess whether a screening program of self-referred adults provides new and valuable medical information on risk factors for falls, stroke and dementia.