Abstract |
Background and Purpose- Scarce data indicate that statin pretreatment (SP) in patients with acute cerebral ischemia because of large artery atherosclerosis may be related to lower risk of recurrent stroke because of a decreased incidence of microembolic signals (MES) during transcranial Doppler monitoring. Methods- We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of available observational studies reporting MES presence/absence or MES burden, categorized according to SP status, in patients with acute cerebral ischemia because of symptomatic (≥50%) large artery atherosclerosis. In studies with partially-published data, authors were contacted for previously unpublished information. We also performed a sensitivity analysis of studies with data on MES burden categorized according to SP status, and an additional subgroup analysis in patients receiving higher-dose SP ( atorvastatin 80 mg or rosuvastatin 40 mg daily). Results- Seven eligible study protocols were identified (610 patients, 54% with SP). SP was associated with a reduced risk of MES detection during transcranial Doppler monitoring (risk ratio=0.67; 95% CI, 0.45-0.98), with substantial heterogeneity between studies ( I2=52%). In studies reporting MES burden (n=4), a significantly lower number of MES were identified in patients with compared with those without SP (mean difference=-0.92; 95% CI, -1.64 to -0.19), with no evidence of heterogeneity between studies ( I2=49%). Subgroup analysis revealed that higher-dose SP reduced the risk of detecting MES (risk ratio=0.23; 95% CI, 0.06-0.88), with no evidence of heterogeneity between studies ( I2=0%). Conclusions- SP seems to be associated with a lower incidence and burden of MES in patients with acute cerebral ischemia because of large artery atherosclerosis.
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Authors | Apostolos Safouris, Aristeidis H Katsanos, Antonios Kerasnoudis, Christos Krogias, Justin A Kinsella, Roman Sztajzel, Vaia Lambadiari, Spyridon Deftereos, Odysseas Kargiotis, Vijay K Sharma, Andrew M Demchuk, Maher Saqqur, Dominick J H McCabe, Georgios Tsivgoulis |
Journal | Stroke
(Stroke)
Vol. 49
Issue 8
Pg. 1992-1995
(08 2018)
ISSN: 1524-4628 [Electronic] United States |
PMID | 29991656
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Meta-Analysis, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Systematic Review)
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Chemical References |
- Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors
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Topics |
- Brain Ischemia
(diagnostic imaging, drug therapy)
- Humans
- Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors
(administration & dosage)
- Intracranial Arteriosclerosis
(diagnostic imaging, drug therapy)
- Intracranial Embolism
(diagnostic imaging, drug therapy)
- Microvessels
(diagnostic imaging, drug effects)
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