Aortic Atherosclerosis Determines Increased Retrograde Blood Flow as a Potential Mechanism of Retrograde Embolic Stroke.

Background: Retrograde brain embolization from complex plaques of the proximal descending aorta (DAo) has been identified as a new potential mechanism of stroke. Our purpose was to identify predictors of increased retrograde aortic blood flow indicating an elevated risk of brain embolization from the DAo.

Methods: A total of 485 patients with acute ischemic stroke were prospectively included and underwent transesophageal echocardiography.