First-ever stroke incidence and 30-day case fatality in the Sicilian Aeolian archipelago, Italy

Background and Purpose— Not many data on stroke epidemiology come from studies on islands. This is the first report on a Mediterranean archipelago population. Methods— Using recommended criteria, from July 1, 1999, to June 30, 2002, information was collected on first-ever stroke and 30-day case fatality in Aeolian island residents (13 431). Results— The overall crude incidence rate was 154 of 100 000 (95% CI, 118 to 197; 128 in men and 180 in women) or 180, 154, and 87, if adjusted to the Italian, European, and world populations, respectively. The 30-day case fatality rate was 24.2% (95% CI, 14.22 to 36.75). Conclusions— Besides genetic or dietary factors, our results may reflect local, li…

Reduced Admissions for Cerebrovascular Events during COVID-19 Outbreak in Italy

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Long-term survival and outcome after first stroke in the Sicilian Aeolian Island Archipelago population.

Background: Only a restricted number of population studies based on long-term prognosis after a stroke have been published. We analyzed long-term survival and outcome in insular first-ever stroke population from the Aeolian Archipelago. Subjects and methods: From 1 July, 1999 to 30 June 2002, 62 patients with first-ever stroke were recruited to evaluate short-term incidence and outcome. Information for every patient was collected by phone interviews after 3 months, 1 year, and 4 years. Results: 30 days case fatality rate was 24.2% (95% C.I. 14.22 to 36.75). Fifty-one percent (95% C.I. 35.8 to 66.3) of patients died before last survey and 39.1% died during the first year of follow-up. Annual…

An unusual internal carotid artery compression as a possible cause of Eagle syndrome – A novel hypothesis and an innovative surgical technique

Background: Eagle syndrome (ES) is a rare symptomatic condition generally caused by an elongated styloid process (SP) or calcification of the stylohyoid complex. On the diagnosis is made, its treatment remains subjective since the indications for surgical intervention are still not standardized. Although styloidectomy is the surgical treatment of choice, no consensus exists regarding the transcervical or/and transoral route. Here, we report our experience in a patient with bilateral internal carotid artery (ICA) dissection caused by ES, who underwent innovative surgical technique. Case Description: A 53-year-old man, with the right-sided middle cerebral artery acute stroke, underwent compu…

Familial hemiplegic migraine type 2 is linked to 0.9Mb region on chromosome 1q23

Familial hemiplegic migraine (FHM) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder characterized by episodes of transient hemiparesis followed by headache. Two chromosomal loci are associated to FHM: FHM1 on chromosome 19 and FHM2 on chromosome 1q21-23. Mutations of the alpha-1A subunit of the voltage gated calcium channel (CACNA1A) are responsible for FHM1. FHM2 critical region spans 28 cM, hence hampering the identification of the responsible gene. Here, we report the FHM2 locus refining by linkage analysis on two large Italian families affected by pure FHM. The new critical region covers a small area of 0.9Mb in 1q23 and renders feasible a positional candidate approach. By mutation analysis, we ex…

Agenesis of the Internal Carotid Artery Associated with Generalized Epilepsy

MRI patient selection for endovascular thrombectomy in acute ischemic stroke: correlation between pretreatment diffusion weighted imaging and outcome scores

Introduction: Eligibility for endovascular treatment (EVT) in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) depends, amongst other factors, on CT- or MR-based scores. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of Alberta Stroke Program Early CT score based on diffusion weighted imaging (MR-ASPECT) in the assessment of brain damage pre-EVT, patient selection for EVT and outcome. Materials and methods: We included in this study patients with National Institute of Health stroke score (NIHSS) at admission ≥ 8, MR-ASPECT ≥ 5 and anterior AIS, who were treated with EVT in our hospital. All patients were clinically evaluated at admission, post-EVT, discharge and at 3-month follow-up. We used MR…