Deans' stroke musings: Changes in spleen size in patients with acute ischemic stroke: a pilot observational study

Changing stroke rehab and research worldwide now.Time is Brain! trillions and trillions of neurons that DIE each day because there are NO effective hyperacute therapies besides tPA(only 12% effective). I have 523 posts on hyperacute therapy, enough for researchers to spend decades proving them out. These are my personal ideas and blog on stroke rehabilitation and stroke research. Do not attempt any of these without checking with your medical provider. Unless you join me in agitating, when you need these therapies they won't be there.

What this blog is for:

My blog is not to help survivors recover, it is to have the 10 million yearly stroke survivors light fires underneath their doctors, stroke hospitals and stroke researchers to get stroke solved. 100% recovery. The stroke medical world is completely failing at that goal, they don't even have it as a goal. Shortly after getting out of the hospital and getting NO information on the process or protocols of stroke rehabilitation and recovery I started searching on the internet and found that no other survivor received useful information. This is an attempt to cover all stroke rehabilitation information that should be readily available to survivors so they can talk with informed knowledge to their medical staff. It lays out what needs to be done to get stroke survivors closer to 100% recovery. It's quite disgusting that this information is not available from every stroke association and doctors group.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Changes in spleen size in patients with acute ischemic stroke: a pilot observational study

I couldn't figure out the connection at first.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ijs.12022/abstract;jsessionid=5BCB8F56E42B7F750C6E98F8AFEB6ABA.d03t03

Background

In animal models, the spleen contracts after acute ischemic stroke, followed by release of inflammatory cells leading to secondary brain injury.

Aims

We aim to characterize splenic responses in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Methods

In this prospective observational study, we measured daily spleen sizes with abdominal ultrasound in 30 patients with suspected acute ischemic stroke. Splenic ultrasounds were also performed in 20 healthy individuals.

Results

A generalized estimating equation, longitudinal regression model for adjusted spleen measurements showed the difference between baseline spleen volume (within six-hours of stroke onset) and the volume at the last measured time point (up to seven-days) to be statistically significant (volume difference of 51·9 cm³, P = 0·04). Healthy controls had significantly smaller day-to-day variations; the maximum observed difference in mean spleen volume between any two time points was 9·5 cm³, with the average change over the period of observation being 1·24 cm³. A statistically significant negative association was also observed between the pattern of change of total white blood cell count and spleen volume (P = 0·01). An analysis of individual cases demonstrated possible associations between daily spleen volume changes and clinical course.

Conclusions

We hypothesize that the spleen may initially contract after ischemic stroke followed by a re-expansion and that it contributes to ischemic brain injury mediated via cellular components. Characterization of the splenic response after stroke and its contribution to cerebral ischemic injury has the potential to provide new opportunities for the development of novel stroke therapies.