Convulsive-like movements as the first symptom of basilar artery occlusive brainstem infarction:A case report

BACKGROUND Convulsive-like movements are rare in basilar artery occlusive cerebral infarction(BAOCI).These manifestations may easily be mistaken for epileptic seizures caused by compromised anterior circulation or by cortical lesions.Delayed diagnosis of this condition affects its subsequent treatment and prognosis.Therefore,it is critical to recognize this type of phenomenon in the early stage.CASE SUMMARY A 55-year-old male patient presented with unconsciousness,rigidity,and a paroxysmal twitch in both lower limbs.These conditions lasted for nearly 2 h and resembled status epilepticus.After the initial conditions subsided,hemiplegia occurred and then subsided rapidly.The family refused thrombolytic therapy because the symptoms were similar to Todd paralysis after epilepsy.However,magnetic resonance imaging showed left pontine infarction.No abnormality was observed in a video electroencephalogram during the interictal period.Digital subtraction angiography revealed that the basilar artery was occluded and that the posterior communicating arteries were patent.Fortunately,the patient received a good prognosis after antiplatelet therapy,lipid regulation,balloon dilatation of the basilar artery,and rehabilitation.CONCLUSION Convulsive-like movements may be an early sign of basilar artery occlusive brainstem infarction.It is important to identify this phenomenon in a timely manner.

By regulating IP3/PKC/TRPV4 pathway hyperoside induces endothelium-dependent vasodilatation in rat basilar artery following four vessel occlusion ischemia reperfusion

OBJECTIVE To investigate regulatory effects of hyperoside(Hyp)on IP3/PKC/TRPV4 pathway in rat cerebral basilar artery(CBA)subjected to global cerebral ischemia-reperfusion(I/R).METHODS The model of global cerebral I/R in rats was established by four-vessel occlusions methods.The treated rats were administrated with Hyp(50 mg·kg^-1)group,Hyp(50 mg·kg^-1)+HC-067047(10 mg·kg^-1),Hyp(50 mg·kg^-1)+2APB(2 mg·kg^-1),Hyp(50 mg·kg^-1)+BisI(2.5 mg·kg^-1),Hyp(50 mg·kg^-1)+2APB(2 mg·kg^-1)+BisI(2.5 mg·kg^-1).Hematoxylin-eosin(HE)and Nissl staining were performed and the contents of methane dicarboxylic aldehyde(MDA),neuron-specific enolase(NSE),S100β and the activity of lactic dehydrogenase(LDH)in serum were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbnent assay(ELISA).The specific blocker N-nitro-L-arginine-methyl-ester(L-NAME)and indomethacin(Indo)were used to delete the prostacyclin(PGI2)and nitric oxide(NO)dependent relaxation.The protein expression level of TRPV4 was detected by Western blotting.Ca2+intensity in vascular smooth muscle cells was measured by confocal laser scanning microscope and flow cytometry was performed to observe the apoptosis of CBA endothelial cells after in vivo administration.RESULTS Hyp induced a dose-dependent relaxation of CBA in IR rats via a PGI2 and NO independent manner,as evidenced by alleviated patho⁃logical changes and up-regulated expression of TRPV4 protein in the endothelial cells from cerebral vessels.Hyp signifi⁃cantly reduced the contents of MDA,NSE,S100βand the activity of LDH in serum and decreased the fluorescence intensity of Ca2+in cerebral vascular smooth muscle cells by in vivo administration.The apoptotic rate of endothelial cells in Hyp treated group was significantly less than that in IR group.CONCLUSION Hyp does in fact ameliorate I/R injury by regulatingIP3/PKC/TRPV4 pathway.

Predictors of unfavorable outcome at 90 days in basilar artery occlusion patients

BACKGROUND In a previous study,basilar artery occlusion(BAO)was shown to lead to death or disability in 80%of the patients.The treatment for BAO patients in the acute stage includes thrombolysis and intra-arterial thrombectomy,but not all patients benefit from these treatments.Thus,understanding the predictors of outcome before initiating these treatments is of special interest.AIM To determine the predictors related to the 90-d clinical outcome in patients with BAO in an Asian population.METHODS We performed a retrospective case review of patients admitted to a tertiary stroke center between 2015 and 2019.We used the international classification of diseases-10 criteria to identify cases of posterior circulation stroke.A neurologist reviewed every case,and patients fulfilling the criteria defined in the Basilar Artery International Cooperation Study were included.We then analyzed the patients’characteristics and factors related to the 90-d outcome.RESULTS We identified a total of 99 patients as real BAO cases.Of these patients,33(33.3%)had a favorable outcome at 90 d(modified Rankin Scale:0–3).Moreover,72 patients received intra-arterial thrombectomy,while 13 patients received intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator treatment.We observed a favorable outcome in 33.3%of the cases and an unfavorable outcome in 66.7%of the cases.We found that the initial National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS)score and several BAO symptoms,including impaired consciousness,tetraparesis,and pupillary abnormalities,were significantly associated with an unfavorable outcome(P<0.05),while cerebellar symptoms were associated with a favorable outcome(P<0.05).In the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)analysis,the areas under the ROC curve of initial NIHSS score,impaired consciousness,tetraparesis,cerebellar symptoms,and pupillary abnormalities were 0.836,0.644,0.727,0.614,and 0.614,respectively.Initial NIHSS score showed a higher AUROC(0.836)compared to BAO symptoms.CONCLUSION The most important predictor of an unfavorable outcome was the initial NIHSS score.BAO symptoms,including tetraparesis,impaired consciousness,and pupillary abnormality were also related to an unfavorable outcome.

Endovascular coil embolization of parent artery for giant intracranial basilar dissection:a case report and literature review

Objective The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the method and result of endovascular treatment for a giant unruptured dissection of the basilar artery (BA) . Methods A 14-year-old boy underwent computed tomography (CT) scan following a minor head trauma was incidentally found a lesion located

Incidental Finding of a Fenestrated Vertebrobasilar Junction Aneurysm

Basilar artery fenestration is a rare anatomical variation resulting from the failed fusion of the two vertebral arteries during embryonic life. In order of frequency, it is the second most common location of vascular fenestrations after the anterior communicating artery. Vertebrobasilar junction aneurysms are uncommon but often associated with basilar artery fenestration. We report the case of a fenestrated vertebrobasilar junction saccular aneurysm in a 57-year-old woman. The diagnosis was incidentally made on CT angiography which found the anatomical variant and the aneurysm. The radiological features illustrating this association are detailed here and a brief discussion of its pathogenesis and management was made. Vertebrobasilar junction aneurysms are rare and their presence should suggest an associated basilar fenestration.

Scutellarin Reduces Cerebral Ischemia Reperfusion Injury Involving in Vascular Endothelium Protection and PKG Signal

Flavonoid glycoside scutellarin(SCU)has been widely applied in the treatment of cerebral ischemic diseases in China.In this article,we conducted research on the working mechanisms of SCU in hypoxia reoxygenation(HR)injury of isolated cerebral basilar artery(BA)and erebral ischemia reperfusion(CIR)injury in rat models.In isolated rat BA rings,HR causes endothelial dysfunction(ED)and acetylcholine(ACh)induces endothelium-dependent vasodilation.The myography result showed that SCU(100μM)was able to significantly improve the endothelium-dependent vasodilation induced by Ach.However,SCU did not affect the ACh-induced relaxation in normal BA.Further studies suggested that SCU(10-1000μM)dose-dependently induced relaxation in isolated BA rings which were significantly blocked by the cGMP dependent protein kinase(PKG)inhibitor Rp-8-Br-cGMPs(PKGI-rp,4μM).Pre-incubation with SCU(500μM)reversed the impairment of endothelium-dependent vasodilation induced by HR,but the reversing effect was blocked if PKGI-rp(4μM)was added.The brain slice staining test in rats’model of middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO)induced CIR proved that the administration of SCU(45,90 mg/kg,iv)significantly reduced the area of cerebral infarction.The Western blot assay result showed that SCU(45 mg/kg,iv)increased brain PKG activity and PKG protein level after CIR surgery.In conclusion,our findings suggested that SCU possesses the ability of protecting brain cells against CIR injury through vascular endothelium protection and PKG signal.

机械取栓术治疗不同基底动脉闭塞亚型的疗效比较

目的比较机械取栓术治疗不同基底动脉闭塞亚型的疗效。方法回顾性分析2019年1月至2022年6月大连市中心医院神经介人及神经重症科经机械取栓术治疗的96例基底动脉闭塞所致急性缺血性卒中患者的临床资料,根据卒中的机制分为三组:基底动脉栓塞无椎动脉狭窄组(第1组,33例)、椎动脉狭窄伴基底动脉闭塞组(第2组,30例)、基底动脉内原位动脉粥样硬化性血栓形成组(第3组,33例)。术后行全脑数字减影血管造影检查,并根据改良脑梗死溶栓(mTICI)分级评价血管再通情况;行头颅CT检查评估有无颅内出血;术后90d采用改良Rankin量表评分(mRS)评估患者的预后;比较三组患者的基线资料、血管再通率、手术时长、术后并发症等情况。结果三组患者术前的基线资料比较结果显示,不同亚型缺血性卒中患者的性别、年龄等差异均无统计学意义(均P>0.05);基底动脉闭塞部位、高脂血症、心房颤动的差异均具有统计学意义(均P<0.05)。96例患者的血管内治疗均顺利完成,其中,91例(94.8%)血管再通成功;三组患者首选血管内治疗的方式、血管再通率的差异均无统计学意义(均P>0.05)。与第1组相比,第2、3组发病至股动脉穿刺时长、手术时长、发病至再通时长均延迟,差异均有统计学意义(均P<0.05)。96例患者均接受术后90d的临床随访,其中31例(32.3%)预后良好(mRS≤2分);三组患者预后良好、死亡、术后并发症等差异均无统计学意义(均P>0.05)。多因素logistic回归分析结果显示,校正发病至再通时间后,组别与临床良好预后结果无关(P=0.132)。结论不同基底动脉闭塞亚型经个体化机械取栓术治疗后发病至再通的时长可能不同,但其总的疗效相当;基底动脉栓塞无椎动脉狭窄的患者血管成功再通所需的时间较短,但其与预后良好无关。