Chatterjee, Arindam R

Background New antiamyloid therapies (AAT) for treating patients with early Alzheimer disease (AD) have become available in the past 3 years. Although AAT can be beneficial in slowing progression of AD, they also come with potentially serious side effects, particularly for patients requiring anticoagulation or thrombolysis for cardiovascular conditions. Given that most patients with AD are older and likely to have cardiovascular risk factors, there is urgent need for additional guidance for clinicians about potential risks and benefits associated with AAT for patients with cardiovascular comorbidities, best practices for management of these patients, and special considerations with respect to emergency evaluation and treatment of patients on AAT who develop acute neurological symptoms. Methods The American Heart Association convened 75 multidisciplinary experts for the Amyloid‐Related Imaging Abnormalities Summit: Cardiovascular and Stroke Considerations for β‐Amyloid Immunotherapy in AD in July 2025. These experts were divided into 8 work groups to evaluate the current evidence related to AAT usage in patients with cardiovascular risk factors and conditions and develop consensus‐based guidance for clinicians. Results This statement outlines the outcomes of the Summit, including considerations for prescribers, primary care professionals, emergency personnel, and health care system stakeholders. These considerations are intended to improve identification of patients as appropriate candidates for AAT, management of patients with co‐occurring AD and cardiovascular conditions, and their emergency evaluation and treatment. The statement also includes guidance for shared decision‐making, implementation of system changes for improving dementia care, and recommendations for future research and data collection to add to the body of evidence for treating patients with concomitant AD and cardiovascular conditions. Conclusions Building on lessons learned from the establishment of stroke systems of care, the consensus‐based considerations outlined in this document can serve as a foundation for AD systems of care aimed at ensuring optimal use of these ground‐breaking therapies.

BACKGROUND: Hemorrhagic risk in dural arteriovenous fistulas (dAVFs) is largely determined by venous anatomy, but the contribution of systemic cardiovascular factors and their medical therapy remains poorly defined. This study examined associations between cardiovascular risk factors and antithrombotic use and hemorrhagic presentation, angiographic obliteration, and early functional outcomes after treatment. METHODS: We analyzed 1350 adults with intracranial dAVFs from the international Consortium for Dural Arteriovenous Fistula Outcomes Research registry, which retrospectively accrued cases across 14 centers in 4 countries between 1990 and 2017. Demographics, cardiovascular comorbidities, antithrombotic use, angioarchitectural features, treatment strategies, and follow-up outcomes were collected from prospectively maintained databases. Primary end points were hemorrhagic presentation, angiographic obliteration, and 90-day functional status after treatment. Univariable and multivariable logistic regressions were performed with model-specific adjustments. RESULTS: Hemorrhage occurred in 375 patients (27.8%) and was most strongly associated with high-grade dAVF classification and male sex; antithrombotic therapy was associated with lower odds of hemorrhagic presentation. Other cardiovascular risk factors showed no independent relationship with bleeding. Angiographic obliteration was achieved in 621 of 845 patients (73.5%). Hemorrhagic onset, high dAVF grade, and surgical treatment were independently associated with angiographic obliteration, whereas smoking and embolization demonstrated only nonsignificant trends after adjustment. At 90 days, 934 patients (88.9%) were functionally independent. Baseline modified Rankin Scale score was the strongest factor associated with 90-day functional outcome, while neither cardiovascular comorbidities nor treatment modality independently influenced functional status. CONCLUSIONS: In this large multicenter dAVF cohort, hemorrhagic presentation was most strongly associated with venous angioarchitecture. Male sex and antithrombotic therapy were also independently associated with hemorrhagic presentation. Angiographic obliteration was common, particularly among surgically treated lesions, and 90-day functional outcome was most strongly associated with baseline functional status.

Background and importance Neurointervention is a very competitive specialty in the United States due to the limited number of training spots and the larger pool of applicants. The training standards are continuously updated to ensure solid training experiences. Factors affecting candidate(s) selection have not been fully established yet. Our study aims to investigate the factors influencing the selection process. Methods A 52-question survey was distributed to 93 program directors (PDs). The survey consisted of six categories: (a) Program characteristics, (b) Candidate demographics, (c) Educational credentials, (d) Personal traits, (e) Research and extracurricular activities, and (f) Overall final set of characteristics. The response rate was 59.1%. As per the programs’ characteristics, neurosurgery was the most involved specialty in running the training programs (69%). Regarding demographics, the need for visa sponsorship held the greatest prominence with a mean score of 5.9 [standard deviation (SD) 2.9]. For the educational credentials, being a graduate from a neurosurgical residency and the institution where the candidate's residency training is/was scored the highest [5.4 (SD = 2.9), 5.4 (SD = 2.5), respectively]. Regarding the personal traits, assessment by faculty members achieved the highest score [8.9 (SD = 1)]. In terms of research/extracurricular activities, fluency in English had the highest score [7.2 (SD = 1.9)] followed by peer-reviewed/PubMed-indexed publications [6.4 (SD = 2.2)]. Conclusion Our survey investigated the factors influencing the final decision when choosing the future neurointerventional trainee, including demographic, educational, research, and extracurricular activities, which might serve as valuable guidance for both applicants and programs to refine the selection process.

Background and Purpose— Several angiographic factors of dural arteriovenous fistulas (dAVFs) are associated with aggressive presentation and poor natural history. We examined the association of magnetic resonance imaging T2-weighted-Fluid-Attenuated Inversion Recovery (T2/FLAIR) hyperintensity with aggressive presentation. Methods— A cohort of dAVF patients from 2 centers was retrospectively examined. T2/FLAIR hyperintensity was determined by blinded, de-identified review and compared with angiographic grade and presenting symptoms. Results— T2/FLAIR hyperintensity was only identified in dAVF patients with cortical venous drainage (CVD). Among patients with CVD, those with T2/FLAIR hyperintensity were more likely to present with aggressive symptoms (20/23, 87.0%) than those without (6/21, 28.5%), P <0.001. All cured dAVFs with symptom resolution and available post-treatment imaging had resolution of T2/FLAIR hyperintensity. Conclusions— T2/FLAIR hyperintensity strongly correlates with aggressive presentation and CVD in dAVF patients, and may identify a subset that would benefit from early treatment.