Prevalence and prognostic value of headache on early mortality in acute stroke: The Dijon Stroke Registry

Objective

To evaluate the prevalence of headache at onset and its association with 1-month mortality in stroke patients.

Methods

All patients with stroke in Dijon, France (2006–2011), were prospectively identified using a population-based registry. Cox regression models were used to evaluate the association between headache and 30-day all-cause mortality.

Results

Among 1411 stroke patients, data about headache were obtained for 1391 (98.6%) of whom 1185 had an ischemic stroke (IS), 201 had an intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and five had a stroke of undetermined etiology. Headache was found in 253 (18.2%) patients and was more frequent in those with ICH than in those with IS (46.3% vs 13.5%, p < 0.001). Overall 30-day mortality was 11.7%, and was greater for patients with than those without headache (17.0% vs 10.5%, unadjusted HR 1.70; 95% CI 1.20–2.41, p = 0.003). In multivariable analysis, an association between headache and 30-day mortality was observed (HR 1.51; 95% CI 1.02–2.25, p = 0.042). In stratified analyses, headache was associated with 30-day mortality in ICH (HR 2.09; 95% CI 1.18–3.71, p = 0.011) but not in IS (HR 1.01; 95% CI 0.53–1.92, p = 0.97).

Conclusion

Headache at stroke onset is associated with a higher risk of early mortality in patients with ICH.

Solitaire FR as a first-line device in acute intracerebral occlusion: a single-centre retrospective analysis

INTRODUCTION

Analysing the clinical and angiographical effectiveness of the Solitaire FR as a mechanical thrombectomy device in acute intracerebral occlusion.

METHODS

Sixty-two patients were retrospectively included between January 2010 and March 2012. All of them underwent mechanical thrombectomy with the Solitaire FR device with or without intravenous thrombolysis. Twenty-five patients had an occlusion of the basilar artery, 1 had a posterior cerebral artery occlusion. There were 16 M1 middle cerebral artery occlusions, 9 carotid T occlusions and 11 tandem occlusions. Clinical status was evaluated using the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) before and 24 hours after treatment and at discharge. The Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) was evaluated at 3 months.

RESULTS

Mean age of patients was 64.8 years. Mean NIHSS score on admission was 19.8. Stand-alone thrombectomy was used in 47 patients (75.8%). Recanalization was successful (TICI score 2b or 3) in 23 of 26 (88.5%) patients with posterior circulation occlusion and in 23 of 36 (63.9%) patients with anterior circulation occlusion. NIHSS improved by more than 10 points for 15 of 59 patients with initial NIHSS over 10. MRS was 0-2 in 25 of 62 patients (40.3%). Overall, 23 patients out of 62 died (37%). No complications related to the Solitaire device occurred.

CONCLUSION

These results confirm that the Solitaire FR device is safe and effective in stand-alone thrombectomy.

Smoking status and severity of ischemic stroke. A population-based study

We aimed to investigate the impact of smoking status on clinical severity in patients with ischemic stroke event (IS). Patients were prospectively identified among residents of the city of Dijon, France (ca. 151,000 inhabitants), using a population-based registry, between 2006 and 2011. Demographic and clinical data were recorded. The initial clinical severity was quantified by the means of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). Multivariable ordinal logistic regression was used to assess the effect of smoking status on severity. Among the 1,056 recorded patients with IS, data about smoking status were available for 973 (92.1%), of whom 658 (67.3%) were non-smokers, 187 (19.2%) were current smokers, and 128 (13.2%) were former smokers. Compared with non-smoking, former smoking was associated with less severe IS (OR 0.55; 95% CI 0.38-0.82, p = 0.003), whereas this association was not found for current smokers (OR 0.97; 95% CI 0.69-1.36, p = 0.856). Further work is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms of this finding.