Our study demonstrated a neutral impact of AF on the safety and efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy in the ultra-acute phase of stroke (≤ 6 hours from onset). Exposure to anticoagulant therapy preceding stroke does not significantly increase the risk of symptomatic intracranial bleeding after mechanical thrombectomy, which is also true for patients with INR in the therapeutic range. We identified the crucial parameters for the functional post-stroke status in AF-related stroke patients on days 10, 30 and 90 following mechanical thrombectomy. These parameters include age, the neurological status on the first day of stroke, and the result of post-interventional reperfusion (according to TICI scale).

IntroductionWhile the asymmetry of body posture and the asymmetrical nature of hemiparetic gait in poststroke (PS) patients are well documented, the role of weight shift asymmetry in gait disorders after stroke remains unclear.ObjectiveWe examined the association of weight-bearing asymmetry (WBA) between paretic and nonparetic lower limbs during quiet standing with the degree of deviation of hemiplegic gait from normal gait evaluated by the Gillette Gait Index (GGI) incorporating 16 distinct clinically important kinematic and temporal parameters in chronic PS patients.Participants and methodsTwenty-two ambulatory patients with chronic stroke aged between 50 and 75 years were included in this study. Fourteen patients had hemiparesis on the nondominant side and 8 on the dominant side. The mean time PS was 2 years and 6 months. The reference group consisted of 22 students from the University of the Third Age presenting no neurological disorders. The examination consisted of posturographic weight-bearing (WB) distribution and 3-dimensional gait analyses.ResultsA significant positive relationship between WBA and GGI was revealed. Moreover, we observed a significant negative association between WBA and paretic step length and walking speed. With regard to kinematic data, the range of motion of knee flexion and peak dorsiflexion in the swing phase of the paretic leg were significantly negatively associated with WBA.ConclusionAlthough further research is needed to determine a causal link between postural control asymmetry and gait disturbance in hemiplegics, our findings support the inclusion of WB measurements between paretic and nonparetic body sides in early assessment after stroke.

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To date, inconsistent results evaluating the effect of parameters on mechanical thrombectomy (MT) outcomes in stroke-patients have been published. This study aimed to identify the key parameters for functional status after MT in stroke-patients in short and long-term follow-up. Method: The study analysis focused on the relevance of selected clinical and non-clinical parameters to the functional status of the patients after MT. Results: 417 stroke-patients (mean age 67.8 ± 13.2 years) were qualified. Atrial fibrillation, and leukocytosis were significant for the neurological status on the first day of stroke (p = 0.036, and p = 0.0004, respectively). The parameters with the strongest effect on the functional status on day 10 were: age (p = 0.009), NIHSS (p = 0.002), hyperglycemia (p = 0.009), the result in TICI (p = 0.046), and first pass effect (p = 0.043). The parameters with the strongest effect on the functional status on day 365 were: age and NIHSS on the first day of stroke (p = 0.0002 and 0.002, respectively). Leukocytosis and the neurological status at baseline were key parameters associated with ICB after MT (p = 0.007 and p = 0.003, respectively). Conclusions: Age and neurological status in the ultra-acute phase of stroke are crucial for the functional status in short and long-term observations of patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy. Atrial fibrillation, hyperglycemia, and inflammatory state are relevant to the short-term post-stroke functional status. First pass effect and the degree of post-interventional reperfusion are important technical parameters to the short-term functional status. Neurological status and white blood count during the acute phase are associated with a high rate of post-procedural intracranial bleeding.

There are differences observed in the activation areas of the cerebral cortex both in the stroke and non-stroke hemispheres. More than half of the patients with hemispheric stroke but all with good outcome showed cerebellar activation. There is probable positive correlation between the BOLD-signal size, young age, activation of supplementary motor area in stroke hemisphere and good functional status of patients in the subacute period of stroke.