Insular infarcts and electrocardiographic changes at admission: results of the PRognostic of Insular CErebral infarctS Study (PRINCESS).
OBJECTIVE
Previous studies showed that insular strokes are associated with electrocardiographic (ECG) changes. However, they did not take into account the 1(st) ECG recorded at admission, but continuous ECG recorded up to 72 hours after onset. Whether these changes are the consequence of the infarct, or are associated with a cardiac source of cerebral ischemia, remains unsettled. If ECG changes are the consequence of insular infarcts, they should not have developed by the time of admission. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that ECG changes in patients with insular infarcts are not present at admission.


METHODS
We recruited consecutive patients admitted within 48 hours (median 3 hours) after the onset of symptoms of acute hemispheric cerebral ischemia. We compared ECG variables between patients with and without insular infarcts, and with left and right insular infarcts.


RESULTS
The study population consisted of 208 patients (94 men; median age: 69 years). Seventy patients had a recent insular infarct (right in 33). ECG variables did not significantly differ between patients with and without insular infarcts, and with left and right insular infarcts. These results were not explained by a lack of statistical power (1-beta >/= 0.90).


CONCLUSIONS
The lack of statistical link between insular infarcts and ECG changes at admission, suggests that ECG changes are not associated with the cause of insular infarcts, but are their consequence.
Pasquini
Marta
M
Department of Neurology, Stroke Department, University of Lille, Roger Salengro Hospital, 59037, Lille, France.
Laurent
Charles
C
Kroumova
Margarita
M
Masse
Isabelle
I
Deplanque
Dominique
D
Leclerc
Xavier
X
Bordet
Régis
R
Leys
Didier
D
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D020521:Stroke / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013997:Time Factors