Paradoxical Emboli from Calf and Pelvic Veins in Cryptogenic Stroke
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
UC Irvine UC Irvine Previously Published Works Title Paradoxical emboli from calf and pelvic veins in cryptogenic stroke. Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/70x2n594 Journal Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging, 13(3) ISSN 1051-2284 Authors Cramer, Steven C Maki, Jeffrey H Waitches, Gayle M et al. Publication Date 2003-07-01 DOI 10.1111/j.1552-6569.2003.tb00181.x License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 4.0 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California 10.1177/1051228403254642 Journal of Neuroimaging Vol 13 No 3 July 2003 Cramer et al: DVT in Cryptogenic Stroke ARTICLE Clinical Investigative Studies Paradoxical Emboli From Calf Steven C. Cramer, MD and Pelvic Veins in Jeffrey H. Maki, MD, PhD Cryptogenic Stroke Gayle M. Waitches, DO Neisha D’Souza James C. Grotta, MD W. Scott Burgin, MD Larry A. Kramer, MD ABSTRACT of the 10 did have clinical conditions suggesting predisposition to developing DVTs, such as concomitant neoplasms or pulmo- Purpose. The increased prevalence of patent foramen ovale in nary embolism. Conclusions. Increased evidence for paradoxi- patients with cryptogenic strokes suggests the occurrence of cal embolism may emerge when diagnostic strategies use multi- paradoxical embolism. The identification of deep venous ple imaging methods and evaluate a broad extent of the thromboses (DVTs) in this population would strengthen this subdiaphragmatic veins. hypothesis. The purpose of this study was to image the subdiaphragmatic venous system in a cohort of patients with Key words: Cryptogenic stroke, paradoxical embolism, deep cryptogenic strokes. Materials and Methods. In 37 patients with venous thrombosis, patent foramen ovale. cryptogenic brain ischemia and interatrial communication, duplex studies of calf, popliteal, and femoral veins, and mag- Cramer SC, Maki JH, Waitches GM, et al. netic resonance imaging venograms of the pelvis veins were Paradoxical emboli from calf and pelvic veins in performed. Results. In 10 patients, DVTs were diagnosed that cryptogenic stroke. were considered to be the cause of cryptogenic brain ischemia J Neuroimaging 2003;13:218-223 on probable (n = 6) or possible (n = 4) bases. In these patients, DOI: 10.1177/1051228403254642 the median time from stroke to DVT was 3.25 days. In 5 of these 10 patients, DVTs did not involve popliteal and femoral veins, areas thought most important to pulmonary embolism, but No cause can be identified in 26% to 40% of all ischemic 1-3 4 instead were isolated to calf or pelvic veins. Although none of strokes and in 64% of patients under age 55. Such cases these 10 patients had abnormal blood hypercoagulation tests, 8 have been termed cryptogenic strokes. A better understand- ing of stroke pathophysiology in these patients could be Received December 16, 2002, and in revised form Janu- important to improving secondary stroke prevention. ary 24, 2003. Accepted for publication January 29, 2003. Although a number of different processes likely con- tribute to cryptogenic stroke, several lines of evidence From the Departments of Neurology (SCC, ND) and Ra- suggest that paradoxical embolism through a patent fora- diology (JHM, GMW), University of Washington; and men ovale (PFO) is one important subgroup. The preva- the Departments of Neurology (JCG, WSB) and Radiol- ogy (LAK), University of Texas, Houston. lence of PFOs in patients with cryptogenic strokes is 42% to 73%, significantly higher than controls or patients with Address correspondence to Steven C. Cramer, MD, Uni- strokes of determined origins.5-8 Brain imaging in this versity of California Irvine Medical Center, Department population suggests embolic strokes.1,9 The rate of stroke of Neurology, 101 The City Drive South, Building 53, increases with larger PFO size; for example, several Room 203, Orange, CA 92868-4280. E-mail: scramer@ studies9-14 have suggested that in patients with cryptogenic uci.edu. strokes, the sizes of the interatrial shunts are larger than in 218 Copyright © 2003 by the American Society of Neuroimaging patients with strokes of determined origins or in normal eral deep femoral, superficial femoral, and popliteal controls. The risk for PFO-related stroke is further veins. At UW, duplex exams also included the tibial, increased when an atrial septal aneurysm is also pres- saphenous, and peroneal veins. ent,5,15 though the presence of an atrial septal aneurysm Pelvic MRV included time-of-flight (TOF) and phase- may in part be a reflection of larger PFO size.16 contrast (PC) imaging using a torso coil at 1.5 T, without Cryptogenic stroke in the presence of an interatrial the introduction of contrast. The field of view extended shunt is a common clinical scenario, but the fraction of from the infrarenal inferior vena cava to the proximal cryptogenic strokes accounted for by paradoxical embo- common femoral vein. For TOF images, slices were 3 mm lisms remains uncertain because a venous source of thick with 2-mm skips between slices. For PC images, embolic material has not been identified. The increased slices were 5 mm thick with no skips and were in plane detection of deep venous thromboses (DVTs) in patients with TOF slices. with cryptogenic strokes and PFOs might be achieved by Pelvic MRV images were reviewed by 2 radiologists using multiple diagnostic modalities and by evaluating all specializing in abdominal-pelvic imaging who were subdiaphragmatic veins. The current study reports the blinded to all patient clinical data. The final read for the results of combined duplex and magnetic resonance study was either positive or negative for acute pelvic imaging (MRI) evaluation of the subdiaphragmatic DVT, on the basis of consensus opinion. MRV was venous system in a cohort of 37 patients with deemed positive for acute DVT when both radiologists cryptogenic brain ischemic events plus right-to-left identified a 15-mm or longer intravascular decrease in sig- intracardiac communication. nal intensity on TOF images that contacted the wall of the vein. The intravascular signal decrease on PC images was Patients and Methods required to match the TOF abnormality. A paradoxical embolism was considered to be the During the service time of 2 physicians (SCC, WSB), a ve- nous system study was performed as part of clinical evalu- cause on a probable basis when 2 criteria were met: (1) ation in 37 patients with interatrial shunts and cryptogenic DVT was documented < 4 days after or up to 1 week prior brain ischemic events. Events were labeled cryptogenic to the cerebral ischemic insult, and (2) a PFO or an ASD only after the normal evaluation of extracranial and was demonstrated on echocardiogram. Four days intracranial arteries and echocardiography. Of the 37 pa- poststroke was chosen in defining probable paradoxical tients, 6 were from the University of Texas,Houston (UT), embolism because the incidence of poststroke DVT rises 17 and 31 were from the University of Washington (UW). significantly after this time. A paradoxical embolism was The mean (±SD) age was 54 ± 16 years (range, 22-80 considered as being the possible cause of the cryptogenic years). There were 25 female and 12 male patients. Arte- brain ischemic event when a PFO or an ASD was present, rial studies used Doppler methods in 19 patients, mag- and many features were suggestive of a paradoxical netic resonance angiograms in 7, catheter angiograms in embolism, but the first criterion was not completely met. 5, and 2 or more of these methods in 6. Echocardiograms An acute DVT was excluded from either category if diag- were transesophageal in 20 patients and transthoracic in nosed ≥ 4 days poststroke in a patient with hemiplegia. 17 patients. PFOs were present in 35 patients, 5 of whom had concomitant atrial septal aneurysms, while 2 patients Results had atrial septal defects (ASDs). Among these 37 patients, the median time from cere- A total of 14 of 37 patients were diagnosed with DVTs. bral ischemic event to the first study of the venous system Five of these were in the pelvic veins, including 1 patient was 8 days. At the time of venous system evaluation, 23 from UT, and 9 of these were in the leg veins, including 1 patients were receiving antiplatelet agents, 9 were receiv- patient from UT. In 4 of these 14 patients, the DVTs were ing anticoagulation, 2 were receiving both, 1 was < 24 determined to be consequences of strokes because of ei- hours after intravenous tissue plasminogen activator, and ther hemiplegia, DVTs arising after normal poststroke leg 2 were receiving no treatments related to thromboses. duplex exams, or the chronic appearance of DVTs when There were 22 inpatients and 15 outpatients. Brain imaged early after stroke. In the other 10 of these 14 pa- ischemia was transient ischemic attacks in 6 patients and tients, paradoxical embolisms were determined to be the strokes in 31. cause of cryptogenic brain ischemia on probable or possi- Venous system evaluation included leg vein duplex ble bases. Note that MRV was not performed in 7 of 37 pa- and pelvic vein magnetic resonance venography (MRV). tients for a number of reasons, including MRI availability, Venousduplex exams included the evaluation of the bilat- claustrophobia, or the diagnosis of calf DVTs. Cramer et al: DVT in Cryptogenic Stroke 219 Table 1. Ten Patients With Probable or Possible Paradoxical Emboli as Cause of Cryptogenic Brain Ischemic Events (PFO size is noted when available) Clinical Venous Interatrial Cryptogenic Cerebral Patient