Publications by authors named "Piechowiak E"

Background And Purpose: In patients diagnosed with spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH), microspurs are considered the culprit lesion in most ventral dural leaks (type I). The imaging characteristics of discogenic spurs, and their prevalence in the general population has not been reported in the literature.

Materials And Methods: This observational case-control study was conducted comparing the prevalence and characteristics of discogenic microspurs between SIH patients with a type I leak treated at a tertiary hospital between 2013 and 2023 and an age-and sex matched cohort of trauma patients.

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Background: A third of endovascularly treated stroke patients experience incomplete reperfusion (expanded Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction, eTICI<3) and the natural evolution of this incomplete reperfusion remains unknown. We systematically reviewed literature and performed a meta-analysis on the natural evolution of incomplete reperfusion after endovascular therapy.

Methods: A systematic review of MEDLINE, Embase and PubMed up until March 1, 2024 using a predefined strategy.

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Background: Distal occlusions associated with incomplete reperfusion (expanded Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction,
Methods: Retrospective registry analysis of patients undergoing endovascular therapy between July 2020 and December 2022, with available immediate post-interventional FPDCT and 24 hours follow-up perfusion imaging.

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Introduction: Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is an important cause of devastating headaches and caused by CSF-leaks in the spine.

Research Question: The aim of this analysis was to gain an overview of the progress of research on SIH over time. The global publication landscape relating to SIH was analyzed and comparisons between regions were made.

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Spinal CSF leak care has evolved during the past several years due to pivotal advances in its diagnosis and treatment. To the reader of the (), it has been impossible to miss the exponential increase in groundbreaking research on spinal CSF leaks and spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH). While many clinical specialties have contributed to these successes, the neuroradiologist has been instrumental in driving this transformation due to innovations in noninvasive imaging, novel myelographic techniques, and image-guided therapies.

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Background: Perfusion abnormalities in the infarct and salvaged penumbra have been proposed as a potential reason for poor clinical outcome (modified Rankin Scale score >2) despite complete angiographic reperfusion (Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction [TICI3]). In this study, we aimed to identify different microvascular perfusion patterns and their association with clinical outcomes among TICI3 patients.

Methods: University Hospital Bern's stroke registry of all patients between February 2015 and December 2021.

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Background And Objectives: In patients with spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH), microsurgical repair is recommended in Type 1 (ventral) dural leaks, when conservative measures fail. However, there is lacking consensus on the optimal surgical technique for permanent and safe closure of ventral leaks.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of surgically treated SIH patients with Type 1 leaks at our institution between 2013 and 2023.

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Cerebral perforators are end-arteries that vascularize specific deep territories in the cerebral hemispheres and brainstem. Due to improved imaging quality, these aneurysms are increasingly diagnosed in clinical routine. High resolution 3D angiographic images are mandatory and in some occasions fusion images might be helpful to detect these aneurysms.

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Article Synopsis
  • The PROCEED model was developed to predict persistent perfusion deficit (PPD) in patients after thrombectomy who have incomplete blood flow restoration, and this study aimed to validate its effectiveness using data from multiple centers.
  • Researchers used data from two clinical trials and a cohort from the Medical University of Graz to assess how well the model can predict PPD, analyzing metrics like discrimination and calibration accuracy.
  • Results showed the model performed well, accurately identifying PPD in 38% of 371 patients, and offering the potential to reduce unnecessary medical interventions while maintaining the identification of patients with PPD.
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Objective: Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is an important cause of orthostatic headaches caused by spinal CSF leaks. It has a strong negative impact on patients' socioeconomic status and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This study aimed to analyze the impact of surgical and endovascular treatments on patients' HRQOL.

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Background And Purpose: Flat-panel detector CT immediately after mechanical thrombectomy can detect complications, including early hemorrhagic transformation and subarachnoid hyperdensities. The clinical significance of subarachnoid hyperdensities in patients undergoing mechanical thrombectomy remains unclear.

Materials And Methods: We studied 223 patients who underwent mechanical thrombectomy for anterior circulation stroke who had flat-panel detector CT performed immediately after the procedure and had follow-up imaging within 24 hours.

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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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Article Synopsis
  • - The study compared flat-panel detector computed tomography perfusion (FDCTP) with conventional multidetector computed tomography perfusion (MDCTP) in analyzing patients with acute ischemic stroke, specifically those who underwent mechanical thrombectomy.
  • - Results indicated strong correlations between FDCTP and MDCTP for manually segmented hypoperfused tissue volumes, yet showed lower correlations for direct quantitative comparisons, implying FDCTP may underestimate some values compared to MDCTP.
  • - Overall, while FDCTP and MDCTP offered comparable qualitative results in measuring perfusion maps, the direct quantitative assessment had limitations, suggesting the need for improved normalization techniques for accurate evaluations.
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BACKGROUND Acute ischemic stroke in the posterior cerebral artery (PCA) territory can lead to persistent disabling deficits. The PCA is divided into 4 segments. The P2 segment begins at the posterior communicating artery and curves around the midbrain and above the tentorium cerebelli.

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Background And Purpose: The value of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) in eligible tandem lesion patients undergoing endovascular treatment (EVT) is unknown. We investigated treatment effect heterogeneity of EVT + IVT versus EVT-only in tandem lesion patients. Additional analyses were performed for patients undergoing emergent internal carotid artery (ICA) stenting.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study investigates whether the effectiveness of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) combined with thrombectomy for treating acute ischemic stroke decreases as time from symptom onset increases.
  • It involves a comprehensive analysis of data from six clinical trials, focusing on patients with anterior circulation large-vessel occlusions who arrived at treatment centers between January 2017 and July 2021.
  • Results indicate a statistically significant relationship between the timing of IVT administration and treatment outcomes, suggesting that the benefit of combining IVT with thrombectomy may be time-dependent.
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Background: Immediate non-contrast post-interventional flat-panel detector CT (FPDCT) has been suggested as an imaging tool to assess complications after endovascular therapy (EVT). We systematically investigated a new imaging finding of focal hyperdensities correlating with remaining distal vessel occlusion after EVT.

Methods: A single-center retrospective analysis was conducted for all acute ischemic stroke patients admitted between July 2020 and December 2022 who underwent EVT and immediate post-interventional FPDCT.

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Background And Purpose: Potential utility of flat panel CT perfusion imaging (FPCT-PI) performed immediately after mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is unknown. We aimed to assess whether FPCT-PI obtained directly post-MT could provide additional potentially relevant information on tissue reperfusion status.

Materials And Methods: This was a single-center analysis of all patients with consecutive acute stroke admitted between June 2019 and March 2021 who underwent MT and postinterventional FPCT-PI ( = 26).

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Objective: Although orthostatic headache is the hallmark symptom of spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH), patients can present with a wide range of different complaints and thereby pose a diagnostic challenge for clinicians. Our aim was to describe and group the different symptoms associated with SIH and their course over time.

Methods: We retrospectively surveyed consecutive patients diagnosed and treated for SIH at our institution from January 2013 to May 2020 with a specifically designed questionnaire to find out about their symptomatology and its course.

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Article Synopsis
  • Spinal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks often lead to symptoms like orthostatic headaches and can contribute to a rare condition known as superficial siderosis (SS), which affects the central nervous system.
  • This study analyzed data from referral centers in Germany and Switzerland, focusing on patients with spinal CSF leaks fitting the criteria for spontaneous intracranial hypotension and who also exhibited symptoms of SS.
  • The results indicated that patients who underwent microsurgical closure of CSF leaks experienced symptom improvement, particularly if treated within a year of SS symptom onset, suggesting a link between long-term leaks and SS progression.
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Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is a serious medical condition caused by loss of cerebrospinal fluid at the level of the spine, which, when not treated, may cause substantial long-term disability and increase morbidity. The following video summarizes the necessary steps for successful diagnosis and treatment of SIH, starting with a brain and spine magnetic resonance imaging, followed by dynamic myelography. Because an epidural bloodpatch did not provide a lasting relief, the patient underwent surgery which demonstrated a ventral dural slit caused by an osteodiscogenic microspur.

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Background: The absence of the susceptibility vessel sign (SVS) in patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is associated with poor radiological and clinical outcomes after 3 months. Underlying conditions, such as cancer, are assumed to influence SVS status and could potentially impact the long-term outcome. We aimed to assess SVS status as an independent predictor of long-term outcomes in MT-treated patients.

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Purpose: Data on long-term effect of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in patients with large ischemic cores (≥ 70 ml) are scarce. Our study aimed to assess the long-term outcomes in MT-patients according to baseline advanced imaging parameters.

Methods: We performed a single-centre retrospective cohort study of stroke patients receiving MT between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2018.

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Background: There are little available data regarding the influence of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) on the efficacy of different first line endovascular treatment (EVT) techniques.

Methods: We used the dataset of the SWIFT-DIRECT trial which randomized 408 patients to IVT + EVT or EVT alone at 48 international sites. The protocol required the use of a stent retriever (SR), but concomitant use of a balloon guide catheter (BGC) and/or distal aspiration (DA) catheter was left to the discretion of the operators.

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