Protocol for Cerebral Microbleeds During the Non–Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants or Warfarin Therapy in Stroke Patients With Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation (CMB-NOW) Study: Multisite Pilot Trial

Anticoagulants are widely used to prevent recurrence of ischemic stroke in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, but in some patients, they also cause bleeding, particularly intracranial hemorrhage. One of the independent predictors of intracerebral hemorrhage is the presence of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs); a high incidence of intracerebral hemorrhage is reported in warfarin-treated patients with multiple CMBs. Longitudinal study suggested that the presence of CMBs at baseline is a predictor of new CMBs in warfarin-treated patients.

Source: Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases - July 4, 2015 Category: Neurology Authors: Shunya Takizawa, Fumiaki Tanaka, Kazutoshi Nishiyama, Yasuhiro Hasegawa, Eiichiro Nagata, Atsushi Mizuma, Sachiko Yutani, Taira Nakayama, Hiroyuki Kobayashi, Noriharu Yanagimachi, Takashi Okazaki, Kazuo Kitagawa, CMB-NOW Study Investigators Source Type: research