Efforts toward Gender Equality and Diversity in the Japanese Society for Neuroendovascular Therapy.

The Japanese Society for Neuroendovascular Therapy (JSNET) is a diverse subspecialty society based on four basic fields and is continuously growing with the advancement of neuroendovascular therapy. Despite a recent increase in the proportion of female members, awareness of diversity within JSNET remains inadequate. To foster a more mature and inclusive society, we established the JSNET-Diversity Promotion Committee in 2021, which has actively engaged in various initiatives aimed at promoting the inclusion of minorities such as female physicians as well as minority fields.

Successful Recanalization by Intravenous Thrombolysis in a Patient With Calcified Cerebral Emboli With Major Vessel Occlusion: A Case Report.

A 69-year-old man, with a history of left superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery bypass due to cerebral infarction by left internal carotid artery occlusion, was hospitalized with acute right hemispatial neglect and left hemiparesis. Diffusion-weighted imaging showed a high-intensity lesion in the right insular cortex. Although there seemed to be no arterial occlusion in magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), non-contrast computed tomography (CT) on admission showed calcification in the right Sylvian fissure.

Thrombolysis for Acute Wake-Up and Unclear-Onset Strokes with Alteplase at 0.6 mg/kg in Clinical Practice: THAWS2 Study.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to determine the safety and efficacy of intravenous (IV) alteplase at 0.6 mg/kg for patients with acute wake-up or unclear-onset strokes in clinical practice.

Methods: This multicenter observational study enrolled acute ischemic stroke patients with last-known-well time >4.

Detection of Atrial Fibrillation Using Insertable Cardiac Monitors in Patients With Cryptogenic Stroke in Japan (the LOOK Study): Protocol for a Prospective Multicenter Observational Study.

Background: Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) is a probable cause of cryptogenic stroke (CS), and its detection and treatment are important for the secondary prevention of stroke. Insertable cardiac monitors (ICMs) are clinically effective in screening for AF and are superior to conventional short-term cardiac monitoring. Japanese guidelines for determining clinical indications for ICMs in CS are stricter than those in Western countries.

Evaluation of cholesterol crystals in carotid plaque by dual energy computed tomography.

Cholesterol crystals (CCs) in carotid plaques might be an indicator of vulnerability, although they have not been fully investigated and non-invasive methods of assessment have not been established. This study examines the validity of assessing CCs using dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) that uses X-rays with different tube voltages for imaging, allowing material discrimination. We retrospectively evaluated patients who had undergone preoperative cervical computed tomography angiography and carotid endarterectomy between December 2019 and July 2020.

Rapid Evaluation of Large Vessel Occlusion for Mechanical Thrombectomy Using Carotid Duplex Ultrasound.

Objectives This study clarified the usefulness of carotid duplex ultrasound (CDU) in evaluating large vessel occlusion (LVO) in patients with acute stroke planned to be treated with mechanical thrombectomy (MT). Methods This study was single-center, prospective, observational trial. If the ratio of end-diastolic velocity in the common carotid arteries was ≥1.

Impact of Patency of the Carotid Terminus and Middle Cerebral Artery on Early Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Acute Internal Carotid Artery Occlusion and Mild Symptoms.

Introduction: Both collateral flow via the internal carotid artery (ICA) terminus (ICT) and initial mild symptoms might be associated with favorable outcomes in patients with acute ICA occlusion (ICAO). This study aimed to address the association between early clinical outcomes and patency of the ICT and middle cerebral artery (MCA) in patients with acute ICAO with mild symptoms.

Methods: Of 1,214 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack due to large vessel occlusion, patients with ipsilateral ICAO and initial National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score ≤5 were retrospectively enrolled.

Global Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Stroke Volumes and Cerebrovascular Events: A 1-Year Follow-up.

Background And Objectives: Declines in stroke admission, IV thrombolysis (IVT), and mechanical thrombectomy volumes were reported during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a paucity of data on the longer-term effect of the pandemic on stroke volumes over the course of a year and through the second wave of the pandemic. We sought to measure the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the volumes of stroke admissions, intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), IVT, and mechanical thrombectomy over a 1-year period at the onset of the pandemic (March 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021) compared with the immediately preceding year (March 1, 2019, to February 29, 2020).

Effects of tissue plasminogen activator on medium-term functional independence: A propensity score-matched analysis.

This study revealed the effects of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) on medium-term functional independence in patients with stroke. We retrospectively examined 240 patients from April 2016 to March 2019 and selected 68 who met our criteria. After adjusting the functional status at the onset by propensity score matching, the functional independence measure (FIM) on admission to and discharge from the convalescent rehabilitation wards was compared between the groups classified by the presence or absence of tPA.

A case of ischemic stroke accompanied by multiple arterial dissections associated with Klippel-Feil syndrome.

Objectives: To describe the case of an ischemic stroke patient with Klippel-Feil syndrome who developed multiple aneurysms and discuss the mechanism of aneurysm development.

Materials And Methods: A 44-year-old man presented with dizziness, left hemiparesis, and left-sided numbness and was admitted to our department. He developed multiple aneurysms at the bilateral vertebral artery (VA) and bilateral internal carotid artery.

Endovascular Therapy for Acute Stroke with a Large Ischemic Region.

Background: Endovascular therapy for acute ischemic stroke is generally avoided when the infarction is large, but the effect of endovascular therapy with medical care as compared with medical care alone for large strokes has not been well studied.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter, open-label, randomized clinical trial in Japan involving patients with occlusion of large cerebral vessels and sizable strokes on imaging, as indicated by an Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomographic Score (ASPECTS) value of 3 to 5 (on a scale from 0 to 10, with lower values indicating larger infarction). Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive endovascular therapy with medical care or medical care alone within 6 hours after they were last known to be well or within 24 hours if there was no early change on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images.

Clinical characteristics of patients with lateral medullary infarction who had fatal respiratory failure.

Introduction: Respiratory failure is a fatal complication of lateral medullary infarction (LMI). However, the clinical characteristics associated with respiratory failure in patients with LMI have not been fully elucidated. We aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics associated with respiratory failure in patients with LMI.

Irreversible Homonymous Hemianopia Associated with Severe Hyperglycemia and Cerebral Hyperperfusion: A Case Report and Literature Review.

A 68-year-old man was admitted to our department because of left incomplete homonymous hemianopia accompanied by hyperglycemia. Both T2-weighted and diffusion-weighted imaging revealed a low signal intensity along the subcortex and high signal intensity along the cortex on the right parietal and occipital lobes. Furthermore, arterial spin labeling and single-photon emission computed tomography showed hyperperfusion at the right parieto-occipital lobe.

Global Impact of COVID-19 on Stroke Care and IV Thrombolysis.

Objective: To measure the global impact of COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of IV thrombolysis (IVT), IVT transfers, and stroke hospitalizations over 4 months at the height of the pandemic (March 1 to June 30, 2020) compared with 2 control 4-month periods.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, observational, retrospective study across 6 continents, 70 countries, and 457 stroke centers. Diagnoses were identified by their ICD-10 codes or classifications in stroke databases.

Global impact of COVID-19 on stroke care.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to profound changes in the organization of health care systems worldwide.

Aims: We sought to measure the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the volumes for mechanical thrombectomy, stroke, and intracranial hemorrhage hospitalizations over a three-month period at the height of the pandemic (1 March-31 May 2020) compared with two control three-month periods (immediately preceding and one year prior).

Methods: Retrospective, observational, international study, across 6 continents, 40 countries, and 187 comprehensive stroke centers.

Hypertrophic Pachymeningitis Related Brain Infarction in Synovitis-Acne-Pustulosis-Hyperostosis Osteomyelitis Syndrome.

A 50-year-old woman with a history of synovitis-acne-pustulosis-hyperostosis osteomyelitis (SAPHO) syndrome was admitted for left unilateral neglect, dysarthria, and left hemiparesis. Brain MRI showed multiple infarctions in the territory of the right middle cerebral artery and gadolinium enhancement of the thickened frontotemporal dura mater on the right side. MR angiography showed significant narrowing of the cavernous segment of the right internal carotid artery.

Association of Admission Hyperglycemia with Clinical Outcomes in Japanese Patients with Acute Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke: A post hoc Analysis of the Recovery by Endovascular Salvage for Cerebral Ultra-Acute Embolism Japan Registry 2.

Introduction: Admission hyperglycemia is an indicator of poor functional prognosis in acute stroke, but investigations of its prevalence and effects on the outcomes of acute large vessel occlusion in real-world, large-scale studies are limited, especially in Asian population.

Objective: We aimed to elucidate the relationship between admission hyperglycemia and outcomes in a prospective multicenter registry in Japan.

Methods: We analyzed data from the Recovery by Endovascular Salvage for Cerebral Ultra-Acute Embolism (RESCUE) Japan Registry 2, which was a prospective, multicenter registry that enrolled patients from 46 centers in Japan.

Unilateral chronic pulsatile headache as the single manifestation of anti-MOG antibody-associated unilateral cerebral cortical encephalitis.

Unilateral cerebral cortical encephalitis (UCCE) with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-antibody comprises a new spectrum of disease entities generally presenting seizures. Here, we report a case of a young adult with anti-MOG antibody-associated UCCE who only presented persistent left pulsatile headache. Neurological examination revealed no deficits.

Clinical Outcome of Patients With Large Vessel Occlusion and Low National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale Scores: Subanalysis of the RESCUE-Japan Registry 2.

Background and Purpose- The treatment and prognosis of acute large vessel occlusion with mild symptoms have not been sufficiently studied. The present study aimed to investigate the clinical or radiological predictors of clinical outcome in patients with stroke with mild symptoms due to acute large vessel occlusion. Methods- Of 2420 patients with acute large vessel occlusion in the RESCUE-Japan Registry 2 (Recovery by Endovascular Salvage for Cerebral Ultra-Acute Embolism-Japan Registry 2), a multicenter prospective registry in Japan, patients with modified Rankin Scale scores of 0 to 2 before onset and initial National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores of 0 to 5 were examined in post hoc analysis.

Supratentorial infarcts accompanying hiccup.

Backgrounds: The main culprit lesion causing hiccup in patients with ischemic stroke is thought to involve the medulla oblongata, but some cases of hiccups caused by damage to the supratentorial cortex have been reported. The present study aimed to address the clinical and radiological characteristics of acute stroke patients accompanied by hiccups caused by supratentorial lesions.

Method: We retrospectively studied 5,309 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack who were admitted to our institute within 7 days after onset between April 2006 and September 2017.