Impact of early MRI in ischemic strokes beyond hyper-acute stage to improve patient outcomes, enable early discharge, and realize cost savings

Prognostic Value of Adding Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Computed Tomography in Acute Ischemic Stroke

OBJECTIVE

To assess if magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides additional benefits over computed tomography (CT) in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS).

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed adult AIS patients who underwent an initial CT scan and received intravenous thrombolysis using rt-PA, dividing them into two groups: MRI plus CT and CT alone. Propensity-score matching (PSM) analysis was employed to reduce confounding biases.

RESULTS

After PSM, two matched groups (168 pairs, n = 336 patients) were generated. There were no significant differences in the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores of 0-2 or 0-1 at 3 months between the two groups (both p > 0.05). Patients in the MRI plus CT group had significantly lower incidence rates of 7-day mortality (3.0% vs. 8.9%, p = 0.04), 30-day mortality (11.3% vs. 21.4%, p = 0.02), and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (SICH, 11.9% vs. 23.2%, p = 0.01). Multivariate logistic regression showed that the MRI plus CT-based regimen significantly reduced the risks of 7-day (OR = 0.02, 95% CI: 0.01-0.18; p < 0.01) and 30-day mortality (OR = 0.03, 95% CI: 0.01-0.13; p < 0.01), as well as SICH (OR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.09-0.76; p = 0.01).

CONCLUSION

The addition of MRI to CT enhances prognostic value in AIS patients, as it is associated with significantly reduced risks of mortality and SICH.

Patient flow analysis with fast-track MRI for suspected stroke in the emergency department and associated non-comprehensive stroke center

Background

Good outcomes in stroke care require swift diagnostics, for which magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as first-line brain imaging is superior to computed tomography scans. Reduced length of stay (LOS) in hospital and emergency departments (ED) may optimize resource use. Fast-track stroke MRI was implemented as the primary imaging technique for suspected stroke, in the ED at Copenhagen University Hospital-Herlev and Gentofte in 2020.

Objectives

We aimed to describe and compare LOS, MRI utilization, and the rate of strokes versus stroke-mimicking conditions on the stroke ward, before and after the implementation of fast-track MRI.

Design and method

In this cross-sectional study, we used data from admissions to the neurologic ED and associated non-comprehensive stroke unit. We compared two time periods, that is, January 1-December 31, 2019, and January 1-December 31, 2020, before and after the implementation of fast-track stroke MRI.

Results

There were 6650 admissions before and 7201 after implementation of fast-track stroke MRI. After implementation, we observed reductions in average LOS in hospitals from 56.0 to 38.6 h (p < 0.001), and LOS in ED from 9.17 to 8.63 h (p < 0.001). The use of inpatient MRI increased significantly, and the rate of acute ischemic stroke patients on the ward increased yet the rate of non-strokes remained unchanged. The association between shorter admissions and access to MRI remained (odds ratio 1.81, p < 0.001), after adjusting for sex, age, weekend admissions, and lockdown periods.

Conclusion

Fast-track stroke MRI in ED associated with reduced LOS in hospital.

Exploring the role of in-patient magnetic resonance imaging use among admitted ischemic stroke patients in improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare resource utilization

Purpose

Despite the diagnostic and etiological significance of in-patient MRI in ischemic stroke (IS), its utilization is considered resource-intensive, expensive, and thus limiting feasibility and relevance. This study investigated the utilization of in-patient MRI for IS patients and its impact on patient and healthcare resource utilization outcomes.

Methods

This retrospective registry-based study analyzed 1,956 IS patients admitted to Halifax's QEII Health Centre between 2015 and 2019. Firstly, temporal trends of MRI and other neuroimaging utilization were evaluated. Secondly, we categorized the cohort into two groups (MRI vs. No MRI; in addition to a non-contrast CT) and investigated adjusted differences in patient outcomes at admission, discharge, and post-discharge using logistic regression. Additionally, we analyzed healthcare resource utilization using Poisson log-linear regression. Furthermore, patient outcomes significantly associated with MRI use underwent subgroup analysis for stroke severity (mild stroke including transient ischemic attack vs. moderate and severe stroke) and any acute stage treatment (thrombolytic or thrombectomy or both vs. no treatment) subgroups, while using an age and sex-adjusted logistic regression model.

Results

MRI was used in 40.5% patients; non-contrast CT in 99.3%, CT angiogram in 61.8%, and CT perfusion in 50.3%. Higher MRI utilization was associated with male sex, younger age, mild stroke, wake-up stroke, and no thrombolytic or thrombectomy treatment. MRI use was independently associated with lower in-hospital mortality (adjusted OR, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.15-0.36), lower symptomatic neurological status changes (0.64; 0.43-0.94), higher home discharge (1.32; 1.07-1.63), good functional outcomes at discharge (mRS score 0-2) (1.38; 1.11-1.72), lower 30-day stroke re-admission rates (0.48; 0.26-0.89), shorter hospital stays (regression coefficient, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.90-0.94), and reduced direct costs of hospitalization (0.90; 0.89-0.91). Subgroup analysis revealed significantly positive association of MRI use with most patient outcomes in moderate and severe strokes subgroup and non-acutely treated subgroup. Conversely, outcomes in mild strokes (including TIAs) subgroup and acute treatment subgroup were comparable regardless of MRI use.

Conclusion

A substantial proportion of admitted IS patients underwent MRI, and MRI use was associated with improved patient outcomes and reduced healthcare resource utilization. Considering the multifactorial nature of IS patient outcomes, further randomized controlled trials are suggested to investigate the role of increased MRI utilization in optimizing in-patient IS management.