Publication
Title
Structural analysis of ischemic stroke thrombi : histological indications for therapy resistance
Author
Abstract
Ischemic stroke is caused by a thromboembolic occlusion of cerebral arteries. Treatment is focused on fast and efficient removal of the occluding thrombus, either via intravenous thrombolysis or via endovascular thrombectomy. Recanalization, however, is not always successful and factors contributing to failure are not completely understood. Although the occluding thrombus is the primary target of acute treatment, little is known about its internal organization and composition. The aim of this study, therefore, was to better understand the internal organization of ischemic stroke thrombi on a molecular and cellular level. A total of 188 thrombi were collected from endovascularly treated ischemic stroke patients and analyzed histologically for fibrin, red blood cells (RBC), von Willebrand factor (vWF), platelets, leukocytes and DNA, using bright field and fluorescence microscopy. Our results show that stroke thrombi are composed of two main types of areas: RBC-rich areas and platelet-rich areas. RBC-rich areas have limited complexity as they consist of RBC that are entangled in a meshwork of thin fibrin. In contrast, platelet-rich areas are characterized by dense fibrin structures aligned with vWF and abundant amounts of leukocytes and DNA that accumulate around and in these platelet-rich areas. These findings are important to better understand why platelet-rich thrombi are resistant to thrombolysis and difficult to retrieve via thrombectomy, and can guide further improvements of acute ischemic stroke therapy.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Haematologica. - Roma
Publication
Roma : 2020
ISSN
0390-6078
1592-8721
DOI
10.3324/HAEMATOL.2019.219881
Volume/pages
105 :2 (2020) , p. 498-507
ISI
000510846700040
Pubmed ID
31048352
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
INSIST: IN-Silico trials for treatment of acute Ischemic Stroke
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 04.03.2020
Last edited 29.11.2024
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