Basal ganglia ischaemic infarction after thrombectomy: cognitive impairment at acute stage

Background and purpose: After successful mechanical thrombectomy for middle cerebral artery occlusion, basal ganglia infarction is commonly detectable. Whilst the functional outcome of these patients is often good, less knowledge is available about the cognitive outcome. The aim of our study was to assess the presence of cognitive impairment within 1 week after thrombectomy. Methods: In all, 43 subjects underwent a general cognitive assessment using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and an extensive battery of tests. Patients were classified as cognitively impaired (CImp) or not (noCImp) according to a Montreal Cognitive Assessment score below 18. Results: Cognitively impaired and noCImp subjects did not differ either in their National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at admittance, or in their Fazekas score and Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score. At discharge, CImp subjects showed higher scores than noCImp subjects on NIHSS (p = 0.002) and mRS (p < 0.001). The percentage of pathological performances on each neuropsychological test in the whole sample and in CImp and noCImp patients shows a similar cognitive profile between the groups. Conclusions: Some patients who underwent thrombectomy experienced a detectable cognitive impairment that probably led to worse NIHSS and mRS. The neuropsychological profile of such cognitive impairment at the acute stage consists of wide deficits in numerous cognitive domains, suggesting that basal ganglia damage may lead to complex functional impairments. Keywords: cognitive disorders and dementia; stroke.