This is the first and largest systematic review focusing on the rate of recurrence in adult craniopharyngioma. Although the rates of recurrence are favoring GTR, difference in risk of recurrence did not reach significance. This study provides guidance to clinicians and directions for future research with the need to stratify outcomes per treatment modalities.

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The prevalence and risk factors of hemorrhagic transformation (HT) after acute ischemic stroke HT have not been adequately delineated. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify English-language prospective observational MEDLINE and EMBASE-listed reports of acute ischemic stroke with HT published from 1985–2017. Studies that used the ECASS-2 definitions of hemorrhagic transformation subtypes, hemorrhagic infarction (HI), and parenchymal hematoma (PH) were included. Patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis with tissue plasminogen activator (IV-tPA) were compared with those who did not receive thrombolysis. A total of 65 studies with 17,259 patients met inclusion criteria. Overall, HT prevalence was 27%; 32% in patients receiving IV-tPA vs. 20% in those without. Overall PH prevalence was 9%; 12% in IV-tPA treated patients vs. 5% in those without. HT was associated with a history of atrial fibrillation (OR 2.94) and use of anticoagulants (OR 2.47). HT patients had higher NIHSS (Hedge’s-G 0.96) and larger infarct volume (diffusion-weighted MRI, Hedge’s-G 0.8). In IV-tPA treated patients, PH correlated with antiplatelet (OR 3) and statin treatment (OR 4). HT (OR 3) and PH (OR 8) were associated with a poor outcome at 90-day (mRS 5–6). Hemorrhagic transformation is a frequent complication of acute ischemic stroke and is associated with poor outcome. Recognition of risk factors for HT and PH may reduce their incidence and severity.

Background: Dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers are a heterogeneous group of antihypertensive drugs. Long acting dihydropyridine agent Amlodipine is widely used for mono and combination therapy for hypertension in clinical practice, while intermediate acting dihydropyridine agents such as Felodipine, Nifedipine-GITS etc. have shown inconsistent results in randomized clinical trials (RCTs). Methods and Results: A meta-analysis of 18 prospective, actively controlled RCTs enrolling a total of 80,069 hypertensive patients followed for a mean of 51.7 months was performed. Amlodipine therapy was associated with 24% higher risk of heart failure (RR: 1.24, [95%CI: 1.04 to 1.48], p= 0.019) but 16% lower risk of stroke (RR: 0.84, [95%CI: 0.73 to 0.95], p=0.009) without statistically significant effect on acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (RR: 0.90, [95%CI: 0.78 to 1.03], p=0.128) or cardiovascular event (CVE) (RR: 0.99, [95%CI: 0.93 to 1.06], p=0.814). Intermediate acting dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker therapy was associated with 24% higher risk of heart failure (RR: 1.24, [95%CI: 1.07 to 1.44], p=0.005), 27% higher risk of AMI (RR: 1.27, [95%CI: 1.04 to 1.55], p=0.019), 14% higher risk of CVE (RR: 1.14, [95%CI: 1.01 to 1.29], p=0.034) without statistically significant effect against stroke (RR: 1.03, [95%CI: 0.87 to 1.21], p=0.580). Amlodipine showed higher risk of heart failure (RR: 1.20, [95%CI: 1.00 to 1.43], p=0.045) and lower risk of stroke (RR; 0.85, [95%CI: 0.75 to 0.96], p= 0.007) compared to Renin-angiotensin-system (RAS) blockers. Intermediate acting dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker showed higher risk of heart failure (RR: 1.31, [95%CI: 1.09 to 1.57], p=0.004) and AMI (RR: 1.46, [95%CI: 1.00 to 2.14], p=0.050) compared to RAS blockers. Multivariate meta-regression suggested that the effect size may differ between intermediate and long acting agents for stroke (B: -0.27, [95%CI: -0.50 to -0.05], p=0.012) and AMI (B: -0.42, [95%CI: -0.69 to -0.16], p=0.002) after adjustment for baseline presence of diabetes. Conclusions: This study suggests that Amlodipine offers greater protection against major complications of hypertension compared to intermediate acting dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers.