Exploring Left Atrial Appendage Thrombi in Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke by Cardiac CT: Thrombus Features, LAA Characteristics and the Impact of Direct Oral Anticoagulation.

Large vessel occlusion (LVO) strokes account for a significant proportion of ischemic strokes and are often cardioembolic in origin, particularly following atrial fibrillation (AF) with thrombus formation in the left atrial appendage (LAA). Although direct oral anticoagulation (DOAC) therapy reduces stroke risk in AF, anatomical and flow-related factors may still allow thrombi to form and persist, revealing the limitations of anticoagulation in high-risk patients. Examining structural and hemodynamic factors contributing to thrombus persistence is essential for optimizing patient management.

Cardiac CT in Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke for the Evaluation of Non-Thrombotic and Non-Atrial-Fibrillation-Related Embolic Causes.

The purpose of this study is the evaluation of imaging findings of acute-phase cardiac CT (cCT) in stroke patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) to identify potential cardioembolic sources (CES) in patients without intracardiac thrombi and atrial fibrillation (AF). This retrospective study included 315 patients with LVO who underwent cCT imaging in the acute stroke setting. The images were analysed for 15 imaging findings following the established minor and major cardioembolic risk factors.

Severe high-molecular-weight kininogen deficiency: clinical characteristics, deficiency-causing KNG1 variants, and estimated prevalence.

Background: Severe high-molecular-weight kininogen (HK) deficiency is a poorly studied autosomal recessive contact system defect caused by pathogenic, biallelic KNG1 variants.

Aim: We performed the first comprehensive analysis of diagnostic, clinical, genetic, and epidemiological aspects of HK deficiency.

Methods: We collected clinical information and blood samples from a newly detected HK-deficient individual and from published cases identified by a systematic literature review.