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Angiotensin II stimulates intraplaque hemorrhage in animal models, and the angiotensin system is highly regulated by vitamin D. The authors' purpose was to determine whether low vitamin D levels predict carotid intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH). In this cross-sectional study, 65 patients with carotid disease underwent carotid MR imaging and blood draw. Systemic clinical confounders and local lumen imaging markers were recorded. They performed multivariable Poisson regression by using generalized estimating equations to account for up to 2 carotid arteries per patient and backward elimination of confounders. The authors found that low vitamin D levels (<30 ng/mL) were a significant predictor of MRI-detected IPH, along with plaque thickness. They conclude that vitamin D insufficiency was associated with both the presence and volume of carotid IPH in patients with carotid atherosclerosis and that these results link low vitamin D levels with plaque vulnerability.

This is a retrospective analysis of 484 patients in a prospectively collected stroke data base. The inclusion criteria were anterior circulation ischemic stroke treated with mechanical thrombectomy at a single institution between September 2010 and October 2015 with an NIHSS score of ≤8. The purpose was to assess the clinical and interventional data in patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy in case of ischemic stroke with mild-to-moderate symptoms (n = 33). Recanalization (TICI 2b–3) was achieved in 26 (78.7%) patients. Two cases of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage occurred. Favorable (mRS 0–2) and moderate (mRS 0–3) clinical 90-day outcome was achieved in 63.6% and 90.9% of patients, respectively. The authors conclude that the clinical outcome of patients undergoing mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic mild stroke due to large-vessel occlusion is predominately favorable, even in a prolonged time window.