Background: Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) has become the standard treatment for acute ischemic stroke with large vessel occlusion. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the major causes. However, the impact of AF on the treatment has not yet been clearly discussed. This study is to evaluate the influence of AF on the outcomes of EVT in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods: Data from our Stroke Registry Database from April 2015 to July 2018 were reviewed. Technical efficacy, functional, and safety outcomes were reported and compared between patients with and without AF. A multivariate logistic regression model was performed to identify the predictors of the good functional outcome. Results: We reviewed 83 eligible patients receiving EVT. Patients (51.8%) were eventually found to have AF. The substantial reperfusion rate (modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction 2b-3) was 72.1% and 55.0% in patients with and without AF, respectively, inclusive of a learning curve (p = 0.12). The good functional outcome (90-day modified Rankin scale: 0 to 2) rate was 55.8% and 17.5% in patients with and without AF, respectively (p < 0.01). A multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that age <70 years, the substantial reperfusion, and the presence of AF were three significant predictors for a good functional outcome. Conclusion: Our study showed that patients with AF responded significantly better to EVT than those without AF did. Intracranial atherosclerotic diseases in patients without AF which were especially refractory to EVT may contribute to the difference of the functional outcomes between the two groups.

The major features of TVDs were distinguishable from visual aura. TVDs were common in adolescents with headaches, especially in migraineurs.

Background: Young stroke incidence has increased worldwide with lifestyle changes. Etiology and risk factors for both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke in young Asians remain underexplored. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed consecutive acute stroke patients aged 16–45 years admitted to the Taipei Veterans General Hospital between 2009 and 2019 to analyze etiologic subtypes, risk factors, and serial modified Rankin Scale scores for 1 year and compare the age groups of 16–30 and 31–45 years. Results: Among 670 young Taiwanese patients (mean age at onset 37.5 ± 7.0 years; male 65.1%), there were 366 nontraumatic spontaneous hemorrhagic stroke (including 259 intracerebral hemorrhage [ICH] and 107 subarachnoid hemorrhage, SAH), 292 ischemic stroke and 12 cerebral venous thromboses. Notably, ICH was more prevalent in patients aged 16–30 than in those aged 31–45 (54.8% vs 36.8%). Specifically, structural vasculopathy (e.g., arteriovenous malformation, cavernoma) was the most common etiologic subtype in patients aged 16–30 (p < 0.001), whereas hypertensive ICH was the most common subtype in patients aged 31–45 (p < 0.001). On the other hand, the top ischemic subtype for both age groups was other determined diseases (e.g., arterial dissection, autoimmune diseases, moyamoya disease, etc.) rather than large artery atherosclerosis. Hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and cigarette smoking were more common risk factors for infarction than ICH. Familial stroke patients whose first- or second-degree relatives had a stroke by age 80 (n = 104, 15.5%) had more infarctions than those without a familial stroke history. In multivariate analyses, initial stroke severity, and infarction type were important predictors of favorable outcomes after 3 months. At the 1-year follow-up, patients with ICH and SAH had worse functional outcomes and survival rates than those with infarction. Conclusion: An aggressive approach to elucidate the etiology of stroke is indicated because structural vasculopathy-induced ICH and other determined infarction are distinctively prevalent in young adults, particularly those aged 16–30.