Cholesterol Crystal in Thrombus Removed by Mechanical Thrombectomy Should be a Strong Marker for Aortogenic Embolic Stroke

Aortogenic embolic stroke (AES) is an important stroke mechanism. However, as many stroke patients have aortic atheromatous lesions, it is unclear whether these lesions are the cause of these strokes. Cholesterol crystals are the solid, crystalline form of cholesterol that is found in atherosclerosis, but not in cardiac diseases such as atrial fibrillation, valvular diseases, and cardiomyopathy. Therefore, if a cholesterol crystal is found in a thrombus removed by mechanical thrombectomy (MT), this makes it possible to diagnose a patient as having an atheromatous lesion.

Source: Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases - August 11, 2020 Category: Neurology Authors: Noriko Matsumoto, Mizuho Takahashi, Takehiro Katano, Akihito Kutsuna, Takuya Kanamaru, Yuki Sakamoto, Kentaro Suzuki, Junya Aoki, Yasuhiro Nishiyama, Shinobu Kunugi, Akira Shimizu, Kazumi Kimura Tags: Case Report Source Type: research