Structural analysis of ischemic stroke thrombi: histological indications for therapy resistance.

Structural analysis of ischemic stroke thrombi: histological indications for therapy resistance. Haematologica. 2019 May 02;: Authors: Staessens S, Denorme F, François O, Desender L, Dewaele T, Vanacker P, Deckmyn H, Vanhoorelbeke K, Andersson T, De Meyer SF Abstract Ischemic stroke is caused by a thromboembolic occlusion of cerebral arteries. Treatment is focused on fast and efficient removal of the occluding thrombus, either via intravenous thrombolysis or via endovascular thrombectomy. Recanalization, however, is not always successful and factors contributing to failure are not completely understood. Although the occluding thrombus is the primary target of acute treatment, little is known about its internal organization and composition. The aim of this study, therefore, was to better understand the internal organization of ischemic stroke thrombi on a molecular and cellular level. A total of 188 thrombi were collected from endovascularly treated ischemic stroke patients and analyzed histologically for fibrin, red blood cells, von Willebrand factor , platelets, leukocytes and DNA, using bright field and fluorescence microscopy. Our results show that stroke thrombi are composed of two main types of areas: red blood cell-rich areas and platelet-rich areas. Red blood cell-rich areas have limited complexity as they consist of red blood cells that are entangled in a meshwork of thin fibrin. In contrast, platelet-rich areas are characte...
Source: Haematologica - Category: Hematology Authors: Tags: Haematologica Source Type: research