No abstract

According to 3 Tesla high-resolution DWI, ischemic brain lesions after LACA were common but not associated with impaired cognitive function after the ablation procedure.

Background-MRI-detected brain lesions are common after left atrial catheter ablation for symptomatic atrial fibrillation.The clinical relevance of these acute ischemic lesions is not fully understood, but ablation-related cerebral injury could contribute to cognitive dysfunction. .5; interquartile range, 6-7) revealed that 7 (12.5%) of the 56 total acute brain lesions after ablation formed a persistent glial scar in 5 (31.3%) patients. Large diffusion-weighted imaging lesions and a corresponding fluid-attenuated inversion recovery lesion 48 hours after ablation predicted lesion persistence on 6-month follow-up. Neither persistent brain lesions nor the ablation procedure itself had a significant effect on attention or executive functions, short-term memory, or verbal and nonverbal learning after 6 months. Conclusions-Ablation-related acute ischemic brain lesions persist to some extent but do not cause cognitive impairment 6 months after the ablation procedure. Clinical Trial Registration-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01061931.(Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol. 2013;6:843-850.)

BackgroundRegular exercise is beneficial for cardiovascular health but a recent meta-analysis indicated a relationship between extensive endurance sport and a higher risk of atrial fibrillation, an independent risk factor for stroke. However, data on the frequency of cardiac arrhythmias or (clinically silent) brain lesions during and after marathon running are missing.Methods/ DesignIn the prospective observational “Berlin Beat of Running” study experienced endurance athletes underwent clinical examination (CE), 3 Tesla brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), carotid ultrasound imaging (CUI) and serial blood sampling (BS) within 2-3 days prior (CE, MRI, CUI, BS), directly after (CE, BS) and within 2 days after (CE, MRI, BS) the 38th BMW BERLIN-MARATHON 2011. All participants wore a portable electrocardiogram (ECG)-recorder throughout the 4 to 5 days baseline study period. Participants with pathological MRI findings after the marathon, troponin elevations or detected cardiac arrhythmias will be asked to undergo cardiac MRI to rule out structural abnormalities. A follow-up is scheduled after one year.ResultsHere we report the baseline data of the enrolled 110 athletes aged 36-61 years. Their mean age was 48.8 ± 6.0 years, 24.5% were female, 8.2% had hypertension and 2.7% had hyperlipidaemia. Participants have attended a mean of 7.5 ± 6.6 marathon races within the last 5 years and a mean of 16 ± 36 marathon races in total. Their weekly running distance prior to the 38th BMW BERLIN-MARATHON was 65 ± 17 km. Finally, 108 (98.2%) Berlin Beat-Study participants successfully completed the 38th BMW BERLIN-MARATHON 2011.DiscussionFindings from the “Berlin Beats of Running” study will help to balance the benefits and risks of extensive endurance sport. ECG-recording during the marathon might contribute to identify athletes at risk for cardiovascular events. MRI results will give new insights into the link between physical stress and brain damage.Trial registrationclinicaltrials.gov NCT01428778

E tiologic work-up is essential in patients with acute ischemic stroke to optimize secondary stroke prevention. According to international guidelines, state-of-the-art diagnostic work-up includes brain imaging, ultrasound of brainsupplying arteries, echocardiography, ECG monitoring, and distinct blood tests.1,2 However, stroke etiology remains undetermined (cryptogenic) in about 25% of all acute ischemic stroke patients. 3 Apart from nonpermanent atrial fibrillation (AF), 4 ventricular noncompaction, left atrial or ventricular thrombi, mitral or aortic valve stenosis, and ulcerated aortic arch atherosclerotic plaques are associated with a moderate to high embolic stroke risk and were found in a substantial part Background and Purpose-Etiology of acute ischemic stroke remains undetermined (cryptogenic) in about 25% of patients after state-of-the-art diagnostic work-up. Methods-One-hundred and three patients with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-proven acute ischemic stroke of undetermined origin were prospectively enrolled and underwent 3-T cardiac MRI and magnetic resonance angiography of the aortic arch in addition to state-of-the-art diagnostic work-up, including transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). We analyzed the feasibility, diagnostic accuracy, and added value of cardiovascular MRI (cvMRI) compared with TEE for detecting sources of stroke. Despite interstudy variations on the definition and prevalence of (potential) embolic sources, current guidelines recommend diagnostic echocardiography in stroke patients. 2Although noninvasive transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is easy to use, semi-invasive transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is typically needed to visualize the left atrium, left atrial appendage, atrial shunts, and the aortic arch-all of them potential sources of embolism.6 Serious complications during TEE rarely occur.7 However, required preprocedural fasting, periprocedural conscious sedation, and the demand of highly skilled personnel limit its availability and cause in-hospital delays. 8 In consequence, TEE is not routinely performed in (cryptogenic) stroke patients, even in high-income countries.9 Subsequently, assessment of potential embolic sources of ischemic stroke is often inappropriate in clinical practice. Although cardiac computed tomography could add information about stroke etiology, 10 the main disadvantage of this approach is the exposure to radiation. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been increasingly often implemented in the clinical diagnostic workflow of various cardiac diseases over the past 10 years and allows for accurate biventricular functional analysis and tissue characterization. Cardiac MRI is now considered the gold standard to assess cardiac tumors, myocarditis, cardiomyopathies, and subclinical coronary heart disease. 11,12 In addition, cardiac MRI has demonstrated feasibility of detecting atrial or ventricular thrombi, 13 aortic atherosclerotic plaques, 14,15 or left atrial enlargement. 16,17 Moreover, cardiac MRI is superior to echocardiography on d...