Background: Isolated posterior fossa parenchymal lesions associated with cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) are rare. Posterior fossa lesions are an independent predictor of death in CVT. We aim to describe the characteristics and outcome of patients with CVT and isolated posterior fossa lesions and assess the safety of anticoagulation in patients with posterior fossa lesions associated with CVT. Methods: We retrieved data from all patients with posterior fossa parenchymal lesions in the International Study on Cerebral Vein and Dural Sinus Thrombosis (ISCVT) cohort related to clinical features, therapy and outcome. Fisher's exact test was used to evaluate associations. To assess the safety of anticoagulation in CVT patients with posterior fossa lesions we considered all patients with a lesion in this topography, either isolated or with concomitant supratentorial lesions, and compared the rate of new intracranial haemorrhages on repeated imaging with the remaining cohort. Results: Out of 624 patients, 12 had isolated posterior fossa lesions and 14 had posterior fossa lesion with accompanying supratentorial lesions. The lateral sinus was most frequently occluded (n = 11). Involvement of the superior sagittal sinus was significantly less frequent compared to the remaining patients of the cohort (p = 0.013). None of the patients with isolated posterior fossa lesion died but 3 remained dependent on follow-up. Poor outcome (modified Rankin Scale ≥3) was more frequent in patients with any posterior fossa lesion, even when on anticoagulation (29.2% vs. 11.9%; OR 3.04; 95% CI 1.2-7.6; p = 0.018). Of the 24 anticoagulated patients with a posterior fossa lesion, 3 (12.5%) had new haemorrhages on repeated imaging, compared with 30 out of 495 anticoagulated patients (6.1%) without posterior fossa lesions (p = 0.19). Conclusions: We describe the largest series of CVT patients with associated posterior fossa lesions. When compared to anticoagulated CVT patients without posterior fossa lesions, CVT patients with posterior fossa lesions on full anticoagulation did not have a significant increase in the rate of new intracranial haemorrhages.

Background: Isolated posterior fossa parenchymal lesions associated with cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) are rare. Posterior fossa lesions are an independent predictor of death in CVT. We aim to describe the characteristics and outcome of patients with CVT and isolated posterior fossa lesions and assess the safety of anticoagulation in patients with posterior fossa lesions associated with CVT. Methods: We retrieved data from all patients with posterior fossa parenchymal lesions in the International Study on Cerebral Vein and Dural Sinus Thrombosis (ISCVT) cohort related to clinical features, therapy and outcome. Fisher's exact test was used to evaluate associations. To assess the safety of anticoagulation in CVT patients with posterior fossa lesions we considered all patients with a lesion in this topography, either isolated or with concomitant supratentorial lesions, and compared the rate of new intracranial haemorrhages on repeated imaging with the remaining cohort. Results: Out of 624 patients, 12 had isolated posterior fossa lesions and 14 had posterior fossa lesion with accompanying supratentorial lesions. The lateral sinus was most frequently occluded (n = 11). Involvement of the superior sagittal sinus was significantly less frequent compared to the remaining patients of the cohort (p = 0.013). None of the patients with isolated posterior fossa lesion died but 3 remained dependent on follow-up. Poor outcome (modified Rankin Scale ≥3) was more frequent in patients with any posterior fossa lesion, even when on anticoagulation (29.2% vs. 11.9%; OR 3.04; 95% CI 1.2-7.6; p = 0.018). Of the 24 anticoagulated patients with a posterior fossa lesion, 3 (12.5%) had new haemorrhages on repeated imaging, compared with 30 out of 495 anticoagulated patients (6.1%) without posterior fossa lesions (p = 0.19). Conclusions: We describe the largest series of CVT patients with associated posterior fossa lesions. When compared to anticoagulated CVT patients without posterior fossa lesions, CVT patients with posterior fossa lesions on full anticoagulation did not have a significant increase in the rate of new intracranial haemorrhages.

Introduction: Post-stroke apathy is a disturbance of motivation evidenced by low initiative, difficulties in starting, sustaining or finishing any goal-directed activity, low self-activation or self-initiated behavior and emotional indifference. Apathy is a common behavioral disturbance in stroke survivors. We aimed to analyze the relationship between post-stroke apathy at 1 year after stroke and (1) apathy in acute phase; (2) demographic, pre-stroke predisposing conditions (previous mild cognitive impairment, alcohol abuse, mood/anxiety disorder) and clinical features (stroke type and location, neurological symptoms); (3) post-stroke depression and post-stroke cognitive impairment, and (4) post-stroke functional outcome, quality of life and the perception of health. Methods: Consecutive stroke (infarct/intracerebral hemorrhage) patients without aphasia or consciousness disturbances were included in the acute phase of stroke and assessed at 1 year after stroke. We assessed apathy with the clinically rated version of the Apathy Evaluation Scale. We also assessed post-stroke depression (Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale) and post-stroke cognitive impairment (attention, mental flexibility, verbal, motor and graphomotor initiative, and non-verbal and verbal abstract reasoning, and Mini-Mental State Examination), functional outcome (Barthel Index), quality of life and perception of health (EuroQol). Data were analyzed using bivariate associations (χ² and t test) and stepwise multivariate analysis. Results: We included 76 stroke patients [32.9% women, mean age 62.9 years (SD = 10.9) and a mean of 6.9 (SD = 4.3) years of education]. Apathy was present in 17 patients in the acute phase and in 18 (23.7%) patients at 1 year after stroke. At 1 year after stroke, 41% of the acute apathetic patients remained apathetic. Sixty-one percent of new cases of post-stroke apathy were detected. Post-stroke apathy was associated only with previous cognitive impairment, apathy in acute stroke, post-stroke cognitive impairment, verbal abstract reasoning and with worse Barthel Index scale scores. In the multivariate logistic regression model, verbal abstract reasoning (odds ratio, OR = 7.03) and apathy in acute stroke (OR = 3.8) were identified as independent factors for post-stroke apathy at 1 year. Apathetic patients did not report worse quality of life or health. Conclusion: Apathy in acute stroke phase was a reliable indicator of post-stroke apathy. Apathy should be assessed in both phases. Verbal abstract reasoning impairment was also an independent factor for post-stroke apathy impairing patients' ability to reason about goal-directed activity. Even though apathetic patients had worse post-stroke functional outcome, they did not report losing quality of life or having worse health.

Introduction: Post-stroke apathy is a disturbance of motivation evidenced by low initiative, difficulties in starting, sustaining or finishing any goal-directed activity, low self-activation or self-initiated behavior and emotional indifference. Apathy is a common behavioral disturbance in stroke survivors. We aimed to analyze the relationship between post-stroke apathy at 1 year after stroke and (1) apathy in acute phase; (2) demographic, pre-stroke predisposing conditions (previous mild cognitive impairment, alcohol abuse, mood/anxiety disorder) and clinical features (stroke type and location, neurological symptoms); (3) post-stroke depression and post-stroke cognitive impairment, and (4) post-stroke functional outcome, quality of life and the perception of health. Methods: Consecutive stroke (infarct/intracerebral hemorrhage) patients without aphasia or consciousness disturbances were included in the acute phase of stroke and assessed at 1 year after stroke. We assessed apathy with the clinically rated version of the Apathy Evaluation Scale. We also assessed post-stroke depression (Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale) and post-stroke cognitive impairment (attention, mental flexibility, verbal, motor and graphomotor initiative, and non-verbal and verbal abstract reasoning, and Mini-Mental State Examination), functional outcome (Barthel Index), quality of life and perception of health (EuroQol). Data were analyzed using bivariate associations (χ² and t test) and stepwise multivariate analysis. Results: We included 76 stroke patients [32.9% women, mean age 62.9 years (SD = 10.9) and a mean of 6.9 (SD = 4.3) years of education]. Apathy was present in 17 patients in the acute phase and in 18 (23.7%) patients at 1 year after stroke. At 1 year after stroke, 41% of the acute apathetic patients remained apathetic. Sixty-one percent of new cases of post-stroke apathy were detected. Post-stroke apathy was associated only with previous cognitive impairment, apathy in acute stroke, post-stroke cognitive impairment, verbal abstract reasoning and with worse Barthel Index scale scores. In the multivariate logistic regression model, verbal abstract reasoning (odds ratio, OR = 7.03) and apathy in acute stroke (OR = 3.8) were identified as independent factors for post-stroke apathy at 1 year. Apathetic patients did not report worse quality of life or health. Conclusion: Apathy in acute stroke phase was a reliable indicator of post-stroke apathy. Apathy should be assessed in both phases. Verbal abstract reasoning impairment was also an independent factor for post-stroke apathy impairing patients' ability to reason about goal-directed activity. Even though apathetic patients had worse post-stroke functional outcome, they did not report losing quality of life or having worse health.