In rare instances, stroke may precede a diagnosis of cancer and be the first clinical evidence of an underlying malignancy.Cerebral infarction mostly complicates lymphomas, carcinomas, and solid tumors. Malignancy-related thromboembolism can present as acute cerebral infarction, nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis and migratory thrombophlebitis. It is generally attributed to a cancer-related hypercoagulable period, chronic disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC), or tumor embolism. We reported a case of malignancy-related thromboembolism from an undiagnosed pancreatic adenocarcinoma in a 54-year-old man, who presented with recurrent ischemic stroke due to chronic DIC. He died of the underlying malignancy despite the appropriate institution of anticoagulation therapy.This case emphasizes that cerebral infarction may be the first manifestation of an undiagnosed cancer. If there is laboratory or clinical evidence associated with DIC, patients with a cerebral infarct of an unknown etiology should be investigated for a malignant process. The optimal method of anticoagulation in cancer patients with thromboembolic disease (TED) remains unclear.
Adenocarcinoma ; complications ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; complications ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; Stroke ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Thrombosis ; diagnosis ; etiology

Lambl's excrescences are filiform structures attached to the edges of cardiac valves and have been associated with stroke. Here we report two patients with Lambl's excrescences who developed migraine-like headaches followed by cerebral infarction. Their Lambl's excrescences were first identified by transesophageal echocardiography. One patient was given aspirin and another had surgery for debridement of excrescences. Their outcomes were good. The migraine-like headache might be the first symptom of cerebral ischemia and might be triggered by micro-emboli originated from Lambl's excrescences. Patients with Lambl's excrescences should be closely monitored and surgery should be considered in recurrent stroke cases.
Adult ; Headache ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Heart Valve Diseases ; complications ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Stroke ; diagnosis ; etiology

No abstract available.
Adult ; Brain Ischemia/diagnosis/*etiology ; Cerebral Angiography ; Fatal Outcome ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperventilation/complications ; Moyamoya Disease/*complications/diagnosis/therapy ; Risk Factors ; Stroke/diagnosis/*etiology ; Thyroid Crisis/*complications/diagnosis/therapy

OBJECTIVETo summarize the clinical presentation, pathogenesis, neuroimaging, treatment, and outcome of stroke-like migraine attacks after radiation therapy (SMART) syndrome, and to propose diagnostic criteria for this disorder.

DATA SOURCESWe searched the PubMed database for articles in English published from 1995 to 2015 using the terms of "stroke-like AND migraine AND radiation." Reference lists of the identified articles and reviews were used to retrieve additional articles.

STUDY SELECTIONData and articles related to late-onset effects of cerebral radiation were selected and reviewed.

RESULTSSMART is a rare condition that involves complex migraines with focal neurologic deficits following cranial irradiation for central nervous system malignancies. The recovery, which ranges from hours to days to weeks, can be partial or complete. We propose the following diagnostic criteria for SMART: (1) Remote history of therapeutic external beam cranial irradiation for malignancy; (2) prolonged, reversible clinical manifestations mostly years after irradiation, which may include migraine, seizures, hemiparesis, hemisensory deficits, visuospatial defect, aphasia, confusion and so on; (3) reversible, transient, unilateral cortical gadolinium enhancement correlative abnormal T2 and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery signal of the affected cerebral region; (4) eventual complete or partial recovery, the length of duration of recovery ranging from hours to days to weeks; (5) no evidence of residual or recurrent tumor; (6) not attributable to another disease. To date, no specific treatment has been identified for this syndrome.

CONCLUSIONSSMART is an extremely rare delayed complication of brain irradiation. However, improvements in cancer survival rates have resulted in a rise in its frequency. Hence, awareness and recognition of the syndrome is important to make a rapid diagnosis and avoid aggressive interventions such as brain biopsy and cerebral angiography.

Central Nervous System Neoplasms ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Migraine Disorders ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Radiation Injuries ; complications ; diagnosis ; Stroke ; diagnosis

BACKGROUNDStroke occurs upon obstruction of cerebral blood circulation and is clinically characterized by sudden onset symptoms. Advanced age is the main risk factor of stroke, but cases of pediatric stroke have been rarely reported. This study aimed to determine the etiology, clinical presentation, and radiologic features of neurological deficit for pediatric arterial ischemic stroke (PAIS).

METHODSThe medical records of 42 PAIS patients (age range: 9 months to 13 years) treated at Wuhan Children's Hospital between July 2007 and January 2011 were retrospectively reviewed. Infarction location was first determined by craniocerebral computed tomography and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. The stenotic or occluded main cerebral arteries and/or branches were determined by MR angiography and digital subtraction angiography.

RESULTSThe majority of the 42 PAIS cases (66.7%, n = 28) were ≤ 3 years old (vs. >3 years old: 33.3%, n = 14; P<0.05), but the male: female ratio was similar in both groups (P > 0.05). The most frequently reported signs and symptoms for both age groups were limited physical activity followed by convulsions and delirium, but convulsions were more prevalent in children ≤ 3 years-old. Children > 3 years-old mainly experienced the limited physical activity symptoms, including hemiparalysis, aphasia, and ataxia. For all 42 cases, the most frequent etiologies were infections (38.1%, n = 16), iron deficiency anemia (16.7%, n = 7), and moyamoya syndrome (11.9%, n = 5). The predominant infarcts among all cases were middle cerebral artery (63.6%, n = 21) and basal ganglia (64.3%, n = 27).

CONCLUSIONSPAIS occurs more frequently in younger children and this group most frequently presents with convulsion as the initial symptom. The overall etiologies of PAIS may be different from those of adult stroke and the involved regions may be distinguishing features of PAIS or its different forms, but more research is required.

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Radiography ; Retrospective Studies ; Stroke ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; etiology

Heart Failure ; diagnosis ; etiology ; therapy ; Humans ; Integrative Medicine ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Stroke Volume

BackgroundWhether the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) can assess intubated patients is still a topic of controversy. We compared the test performance of the GCS motor component (GCS-M)/Simplified Motor Score (SMS) to the total of the GCS in predicting the outcomes of intubated acute severe cerebral vascular disease patients.

MethodsA retrospective analysis of prospectively collected observational data was performed. Between January 2012 and October 2015, 106 consecutive acute severe cerebral vascular disease patients with intubation were included in the study. GCS, GCS-M, GCS eye-opening component, and SMS were documented on admission and at 24, 48, and 72 h after admission to Neurointensive Care Unit (NCU). Outcomes were death and unfavorable prognosis (modified Rankin Scale: 5-6) at NCU discharge. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was obtained to determine the prognostic performance and best cutoff value for each scoring system. Comparison of the area under the ROC curves (AUCs) was performed using the Z- test.

ResultsOf 106 patients included in the study, 41 (38.7%) patients died, and 69 (65.1%) patients had poor prognosis when discharged from NCU. The four time points within 72 h of admission to the NCU were equivalent for each scale's predictive power, except that 0 h was the best for each scale in predicting outcomes of patients with right-hemisphere lesions. Nonsignificant difference was found between GCS-M AUCs and GCS AUCs in predicting death at 0 h (0.721 vs. 0.717, Z = 0.135, P = 0.893) and 72 h (0.730 vs. 0.765, Z = 1.887, P = 0.060), in predicting poor prognosis at 0 h (0.827 vs. 0.819, Z = 0.395, P = 0.693), 24 h (0.771 vs. 0.760, Z = 0.944, P = 0.345), 48 h (0.732 vs. 0.741, Z = 0.593, P = 0.590), and 72 h (0.775 vs. 0.780, Z = 0.302, P = 0.763). AUCs in predicting death for patients with left-hemisphere lesions ranged from 0.700 to 0.804 for GCS-M and from 0.700 to 0.824 for GCS, in predicting poor prognosis ranged from 0.841 to 0.969 for GCS-M and from 0.875 to 0.969 for GCS, with no significant difference between GCS-M AUCs and GCS AUCs within 72 h (P > 0.05). No significant difference between GCS-M AUCs and GCS AUCs was found in predicting death (0.964 vs. 0.964, P = 1.000) and poor prognosis (1.000 vs. 1.000, P = 1.000) for patients with right-hemisphere lesions at 0 h. AUCs in predicting death for patients with brainstem or cerebella were poor for GCS-M (<0.700), in predicting poor prognosis ranged from 0.727 to 0.801 for GCS-M and from 0.704 to 0.820 for GCS, with no significant difference between GCS-M AUCs and GCS AUCs within 72 h (P > 0.05). The SMS AUCs (<0.700) in predicting outcomes were poor.

ConclusionsThe GCS-M approaches the same test performance as the GCS in assessing the prognosis of intubated acute severe cerebral vascular disease patients. The GCS-M could be accurately and reliably applied in patients with hemisphere lesions, but caution must be taken for patients with brainstem or cerebella lesions.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Coma ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Glasgow Coma Scale ; Humans ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Stroke ; complications

BACKGROUNDPrevious data are controversial about the association of renal artery stenosis (RAS) with clinical outcome in patients with heart failure. Definition of RAS in previous studies might not be appropriate. By definition of RAS with renal duplex sonography, we investigated the association of RAS with clinical outcome in patients with heart failure.

METHODSIn this retrospective study, we identified 164 patients with heart failure (New York Heart Association classification ≥II; left ventricular ejection fraction <50%) who had received renal duplex sonography during hospital stay. RAS was defined as renal-aortic ratio ≥3.5 or a peak systolic velocity ≥200 cm/s (or both), or occlusion of the renal artery. Categorical data of patients were compared using the Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test. Cox proportional hazards regression modeling technique was used to investigate the prognostic significance of possible predictors.

RESULTSFinally, 143 patients were enrolled. Median follow-up time was 32 months (1-53 months). Twenty-two patients were diagnosed as RAS by renal duplex sonography, including 13 unilateral RAS (3 left RAS, 10 right RAS) and 9 bilateral RAS. There were more all-cause mortality and cardiovascular death in patients with RAS than patients without RAS. By multivariate analysis, RAS was a significant predictor for all-cause death and cardiovascular death (hazard ratio [HR] = 4.155, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.546-11.164, P = 0.005; and HR = 3.483, 95% CI: 1.200-10.104, P = 0.022, respectively). As for composite endpoint events, including death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke or intracranial hemorrhage, rehospitalization for cardiac failure, and renal replacement therapy, only angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin-receptor blocker was significant predictor. RAS was not a significant predictor for composite endpoint events.

CONCLUSIONSOur data suggested that RAS is associated with a poorer clinical outcome in patients with heart failure.

Aged ; Atherosclerosis ; diagnosis ; etiology ; mortality ; Chi-Square Distribution ; Heart Failure ; complications ; mortality ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Renal Artery Obstruction ; diagnosis ; etiology ; mortality ; Retrospective Studies ; Stroke Volume ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the sleep structure in patients with vascular cognitive impairment-no dementia (VCI-ND) and its differences from that of normal individuals.

METHODSThe whole night sleep record of 20 patients with VCI-ND were monitored by 32-head video-taped polysomnographic system, and the results were compared with the data of 20 normal subjects.

RESULTSCompared with normal subjects, patients with VCI-ND showed significantly reduced total sleep duration, increased waking times, increased stage 1 sleep, decreased stage 2 sleep, decreased stage 3 sleep, decreased rapid eye movement stage (REM) and reduced sleep efficiency.

CONCLUSIONIncreased light sleep as well as decreased slow-wave stage 3-4 sleep and decreased REM stage may be a specific electroneurophysiologic marker for VCI-ND, but large-sampled multi-centered randomized controlled trial is necessary to test the validity of these features as specific markers for screening and early diagnostic purposes.

Aged ; Case-Control Studies ; Cognition Disorders ; diagnosis ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Dementia, Vascular ; diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polysomnography ; Sleep ; physiology ; Sleep Stages ; Sleep Wake Disorders ; etiology ; Stroke ; complications

Thrombolysis with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) is currently an approved therapy for patients with acute ischemic stroke. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) immediately following t-PA treatment for stroke is a rare but serious complication. A case of acute myocardial infarction (MI) following IV t-PA infusion for acute stroke was observed. This is a 52-year-old male with a known history of hypertension and chest pain, who subsequently developed MI four hours after IV t-PA was administered for acute ischemic stroke. The disruption of intra-cardiac thrombus and subsequent embolization to the coronary arteries may be an important mechanism. In addition, spontaneous recanalization of infarct-related arteries may be associated with greater myocardial salvage and better prognosis.
Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Infarction ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Stroke ; complications ; drug therapy ; Tissue Plasminogen Activator ; therapeutic use