Propensity Score-Matched Analysis of Lesion Patterns in Stroke Patients With Patent Foramen Ovale and Patients With Spontaneous Intracranial Artery Dissection

Conclusion: The present study suggests that lesion patterns observed from DWI of patients with PFO and SIAD might provide clues to the etiology of infarcts. Single lesions (cortical or subcortical) might be a typical feature of PFO associated strokes, while multiple lesions in one vascular territory might be a specific feature of SIAD associated strokes. Introduction Both patent foramen ovale (PFO) and spontaneous intracranial artery dissection (SIAD) are important stroke risk factors, especially in young and middle-aged adults (1–3). About 25% of patients with ischemic stroke are cryptogenic (4), and PFO is present in ~54% of patients with cryptogenic stroke under 54 yeas (5). PFO and SIAD might result in strokes through different mechanisms. Promptly identifying the difference in the underlying mechanisms among young and middle-aged stroke patients will facilitate selection of the best therapy for the primary disease and prevention of recurrent strokes. A prior study has assessed brain Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of stroke patients due to PFO and SIAD and found that, a single non-territorial infarct seemed to favor strokes due to PFO, whereas territorial infarcts (with or without additional smaller lesions in the same territory) were more likely to occur in patients with arterial dissection (6). However, this study did not individually compare between patients with carotid dissection, vertebral dissection, and those with PFO, respectivel...
Source: Frontiers in Neurology - Category: Neurology Source Type: research