By Aristeidis Katsanos, Division of Neurology, McMaster University and Population Health Research Institute, Hamilton, ON, Canada
The poster walk in this joint ESO-WSO conference was obviously different from all previous years. Although at this time we were not able to meet each other with a glass of wine in the Poster Gallery, I was very delighted to see during my virtual poster walk that great science was there…alive and kicking!
In a post-hoc analysis of the multicenter, randomized, double-blind PRASTRO-I trial presented in the poster ASSOCIATION OF SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE LEVEL AND ITS VISIT-TO-VISIT VARIABILITY WITH ISCHEMIC/BLEEDING EVENTS DURING LONG-TERM MEDICATION WITH PRASUGREL OR CLOPIDOGREL AFTER NON-CARDIOEMBOLIC STROKE: PRASTRO-I, Toyoda et al highlight the importance of blood pressure control in patients being on long-term antiplatelet therapy after stroke.
Sex differences in stroke care and epidemiology have been outlined in the relevant poster section, with Leppert et al reporting that STROKE INCIDENCE IS HIGHER IN YOUNG WOMEN THAN MEN IN A LARGE, NATIONAL UNITED STATES CLAIMS SAMPLE. This work underscores once again the need to investigate further and establish sex-guided approaches in primary and secondary stroke prevention.
Dr. Mikulik and NAVIGATE-ESUS investigators present an exploratory analysis on the FREQUENCY, SITES AND PREDICTORS OF BLEEDING IN PATIENTS WITH EMBOLIC STROKES OF UNDETERMINED SOURCE. Dr. Mikulik et al uncovered no early high-risk period for bleeding events following initiation of rivaroxaban, while the distribution of bleeding sites was judged to be similar for rivaroxaban and aspirin.
Are there any potential markers to identify patients with hereditary cerebral amyloid angiopathy in both the pre-symptomatic stages? Van Etten et al propose that OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY DETECTS RETINAL NERVE FIBER LAYER THINNING IN HEREDITARY CEREBRAL AMYLOID ANGIOPATHY. Additional research is needed to validate the findings of this case-control study, and further determine the presence of retinal thinning in patients with sporadic cerebral amyloid angiopathy.
This is only a small taste of the great research you can find in the virtual Poster Gallery this year! So fill up your glasses, sit comfortably in your chair and enjoy the rest of the walk!