Publications by authors named "Heldner M"

Imaging can help to diagnose CNS vasculitis. Yet so far, no imaging studies of CNS vasculitis at 7T are available. We share our experience of vessel wall imaging (VWI) at 7T in patients with suspected vasculitis.

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  • The study investigated the clinical and radiological factors affecting the outcomes of acute ischemic stroke patients with isolated posterior cerebral artery (PCA) occlusion treated only with medical management.
  • A total of 585 patients were analyzed, revealing that 56% experienced poor functional outcomes, which were linked to older age, higher NIHSS scores, larger infarct volumes, and not receiving intravenous thrombolysis (IVT).
  • The research highlighted that factors like age, NIHSS score, infarct volume, and IVT status significantly influenced outcomes, while finding that complete recanalization after 24 hours improved recovery chances.
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Background And Aims: Previous observational data indicate that young adults treated with intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) for acute ischemic stroke have more favorable outcomes and less complications when compared to older adults. Given the limited data on this topic, we aimed to provide more evidence on clinical outcomes and safety in such patients, using a large international thrombolysis registry.

Methods: In this prospective multicenter study, we used data from the Thrombolysis in Ischemic Stroke Patients (TRISP) registry from 1998 to 2020.

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  • The study examined acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in young adults aged 18 to 55 in Switzerland, focusing on risk factors, treatments, and outcomes between those with determined versus undetermined causes of stroke.
  • Findings revealed that 22% of young AIS patients had undetermined pathogenesis, with higher rates of dyslipidemia and smoking in this group, as well as a tendency to receive intravenous thrombolysis.
  • Despite a higher recurrence risk in the undetermined pathogenesis group, they experienced better functional outcomes at 3 months compared to those with a determined cause, particularly for those aged 46 to 55.
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Background: Acute intracranial occlusion of the internal carotid artery (ICA) can be distinguished into (a) occlusion of the terminal ICA, involving the proximal segments of the middle or anterior cerebral artery (ICA-L/-T) and (b) non-terminal intracranial occlusions of the ICA with patent circle of Willis (ICA-I). While patients with ICA-L/-T occlusion were included in all randomized controlled trials on endovascular therapy (EVT) in anterior large vessel occlusion, data on EVT in ICA-I occlusion is scarce. We thus aimed to evaluate effectiveness and safety of EVT in ICA-I occlusions in comparison to ICA-L/-T occlusions.

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  • * Many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are beginning to establish telestroke services, indicating a potential shift in access to specialized stroke care.
  • * The analysis identified significant variations in network structures and technologies used, with 75% employing real-time video and image transfer, and a focus on quality monitoring in 74% of networks.
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  • A significant portion of patients (1 in 10) experience epilepsy after having cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT), but it's challenging to predict who will be affected.* -
  • Researchers created the DIAS3 prognostic score using clinical data from over 1,100 patients to assess the likelihood of developing post-CVT epilepsy based on six clinical variables.* -
  • The study found a range of predicted risks for post-CVT epilepsy within one and three years, with successful validation of the score confirming its effectiveness in estimating individual risk.*
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Background And Objectives: Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is a rare cause of stroke. While the standard treatment is anticoagulation, the type and duration of anticoagulation depends on the underlying etiology. This study aims to identify prevalence, risk factors, and recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) rates among patients with idiopathic (cryptogenic) CVT and CVT provoked by transient (peripartum, hormonal treatment, infection, trauma) and persistent (cancer, thrombophilia) factors.

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  • The article has a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) that allows it to be easily found online.
  • The DOI number given is 10.3389/fneur.2023.1251581.
  • This correction is important for making sure the information in the article is accurate.
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  • Cervical artery dissection (CeAD) is a leading cause of ischemic strokes in young adults, and this study explored the effects of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) on patients with CeAD and stroke symptoms.
  • Analyzed data from the STOP-CAD study, it found that IVT significantly improved functional independence after 90 days in patients without increasing the risk of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage.
  • The results suggest that IVT is a beneficial treatment for eligible patients with CeAD, aligning with current medical guidelines on its use.
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Right-to-left shunt, mainly due to patent foramen ovale (PFO), is likely responsible for ≈5% of all ischemic strokes and 10% of those occurring in young and middle-aged adults. Randomized clinical trials demonstrated that, in selected young and middle-aged patients with otherwise cryptogenic acute ischemic stroke and high-risk PFO, percutaneous PFO closure is more effective than antiplatelet therapy alone in preventing recurrence. However, PFO is generally a benign finding and is present in about one-quarter of the population.

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  • The study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) in acute ischemic stroke patients treated within early (<6 hours) and extended (6-24 hours) time windows after symptom onset.
  • It compared outcomes like good functional recovery, intracranial hemorrhage, and mortality rates between the two groups, finding that while early treatment showed slightly better recovery rates, both time frames had similar safety outcomes.
  • Overall, the findings suggest that EVT remains a viable option for patients up to 24 hours after stroke symptoms, aligning with real-world clinical practices.
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  • The study investigates the timing of endovascular therapy (EVT) for severe cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), comparing early initiation (<24 hours) to late initiation (>24 hours) regarding patients' recovery outcomes.
  • Results showed that early EVT significantly increased the likelihood of functional independence at 3 months (66.7% vs. 27.3%) and was associated with lower mortality rates (16.7% vs. 36.4%) at 90 days.
  • The findings suggest that prompt EVT may lead to better recovery in CVST cases, but further randomized controlled trials are needed to validate these results and support the "time-is-brain" concept.
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  • The study aimed to understand how time from symptom onset affects D-dimer levels in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and transient ischemic attack (TIA), as this knowledge may help identify other thrombotic conditions.
  • A total of 2467 AIS patients and 708 TIA patients were analyzed, finding that D-dimer levels were higher in AIS patients compared to TIA patients, with distinct fluctuations in D-dimer levels over time in AIS patients.
  • The research concluded that while D-dimer levels in AIS patients change significantly after symptoms begin, TIA patients do not show these time-dependent variations, indicating the need for further studies to better utilize D-dimer as a biomarker in acute stroke cases.
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Background: As stroke endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) treatment indications expand, understanding population-based EVT eligibility becomes critical for resource planning. We aimed to project current and future population-based EVT eligibility in the United States.

Methods: We conducted a post hoc analysis of the physician-adjudicated GCNKSS (Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Stroke Study; 2015 epoch), a population-based, cross sectional, observational study of stroke incidence, treatment, and outcomes across a 5-county region.

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The ELECTRA-STROKE study investigated the potential of EEG for prehospital triage of patients with ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion (LVO), in which fast triage to stroke centers for endovascular treatment is crucial. The study was conducted in 4 phases, and this Journal Club article focuses on the fourth phase in the prehospital setting with suspected stroke patients. An EEG cap with dry electrodes was used to measure brain activity.

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Background: It is uncertain whether antiplatelets or anticoagulants are more effective in preventing early recurrent stroke in patients with cervical artery dissection. Following the publication of the observational Antithrombotic for STOP-CAD (Stroke Prevention in Cervical Artery Dissection) study, which has more than doubled available data, we performed an updated systematic review and meta-analysis comparing antiplatelets versus anticoagulation in cervical artery dissection.

Methods: The systematic review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023468063).

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Nearly one fifth of patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) have cancer. When both of these conditions occur, especially in cases of cerebral vein thrombosis (CVT), patient management is often challenging. The aim of this study was to compare the characteristics and event courses in patients affected by CVT with and without cancer.

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Introduction: The differences in vascular risk factors' and stroke burden across Europe are notable, however there is limited understanding of the influence of socioeconomic environment on the quality of secondary prevention and outcome after acute ischemic stroke.

Patients And Methods: In this observational multicenter cohort study, we analyzed baseline characteristics, reperfusion treatment, outcome and secondary prevention in patients with acute ischemic stroke from three tertiary-care teaching hospitals with similar service population size in different socioeconomic environments: Bern/CH/ = 293 (high-income), Gdansk/PL/ = 140 (high-income), and Lutsk/UA/ = 188 (lower-middle-income).

Results: We analyzed 621 patients (43.

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Herein, the development of a light-mediated synthesis of functionalized indolines and tetrahydroquinolines is reported. These structural motifs are considered as highly valuable targets, attributed to their widespread occurrence in pharmaceuticals and natural products. The gold-mediated approach offers a direct route to functionalized indolines in yields of up to 81% under mild photochemical conditions.

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  • This study looked at patients who had a type of serious stroke called large vessel occlusion (LVO) and how their past health problems affected their recovery after a specific treatment called endovascular therapy (EVT).
  • Researchers checked the medical history and data of nearly 1,000 patients over five years to see how many had previous health issues and how they did after treatment.
  • They found that patients with more past vascular problems had a higher chance of dying or not being independent after three months, and men had more bleeding complications than women during their hospital stay.
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  • The study aimed to validate the SINCALC score, which predicts poor outcomes and mortality in patients with cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT), using an international cohort from the ACTION-CVT study.
  • The ACTION-CVT cohort showed differences from the original International CVT Consortium, being older, having fewer females, and milder symptoms, with a mortality rate of 2.5% at 30 days and 6% at one year.
  • Results indicated the SINCALC score performed reasonably well in predicting outcomes, with AUC values suggesting its effectiveness, and further validation in diverse populations is recommended.
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Background: Acute basilar artery occlusion (BAO) is a severe disease that is associated with an 85% mortality rate if untreated. Several studies have analyzed the use of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in the different scenarios of BAO. However, the results remain conflicting and the role of MT as standard of care for vertebrobasilar tandem occlusions (VBTO) has not been confirmed.

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