Common variation in PHACTR1 is associated with susceptibility to cervical artery dissection.

Cervical artery dissection (CeAD), a mural hematoma in a carotid or vertebral artery, is a major cause of ischemic stroke in young adults although relatively uncommon in the general population (incidence of 2.6/100,000 per year). Minor cervical traumas, infection, migraine and hypertension are putative risk factors, and inverse associations with obesity and hypercholesterolemia are described.

Association of vascular risk factors with cervical artery dissection and ischemic stroke in young adults.

Background: Little is known about the risk factors for cervical artery dissection (CEAD), a major cause of ischemic stroke (IS) in young adults. Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking, hypercholesterolemia, and obesity are important risk factors for IS. However, their specific role in CEAD is poorly investigated.

Desmoteplase.

The high fibrin specificity of Desmodus rotundus salivary plasminogen activator alpha1 (desmoteplase) renders it a promising candidate for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke. In the DIAS (Desmoteplase in Acute Ischemic Stroke) and DEDAS (Dose Escalation study of Desmoteplase in Acute ischemic Stroke) Phase II studies, doses of 90 microg/kg and 125 microg/kg desmoteplase were reported to have acceptable safety profiles, leading to potentially superior reperfusion compared with placebo, with possible clinical efficacy for up to 9 h after the onset of symptoms in patients with a significant ischemic penumbra selected from magnetic resonance perfusion-diffusion weighted mismatches imaging. However, a Phase III clinical trial (DIAS-2) was unable to detect any benefit from desmoteplase when given 3 - 9 h after stroke onset.

Assessment of the course and division patterns of the middle cerebral artery M1 segment. Transcranial power doppler compared with 3D time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography at 3 T.

Background And Purpose: The present study was undertaken to assess the ability of bedside transcranial color-coded sonography (TCCS) to define the course and the patterns of the division of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) M1 segment compared with 3D time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) at 3 T.

Methods: Because MRA is considered as a reliable noninvasive technique to depict the normal anatomy of the intracranial artery, we prospectively defined the course and the patterns of division of 100 MCA M1 segments using bedside TCCS and compared the results with MRA findings.

Results: In 68/85 cases (80%), the sonographer was able to define the division of the M1 segment, and classified these as bipode for 50/68 (73.

Main anatomical features of the M1 segment of the middle cerebral artery: a 3D time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography at 3 T study.

The purpose of our study was to determine the main anatomical features of the M1 segment of middle cerebral artery (MRA) using a 3D TOF-MRA at 3 T. Reconstructed and post-processed MRA images were independently analysed by two anatomists in order to determine the course patterns, the division patterns and the early cortical branches patterns of the M1 segments. The division patterns were defined as bipode, tripode or other.