Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41757737›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of neurology2026

Clinical Significance of Microembolic Signal Detection in Acute Ischemic Stroke: Insights Into Ongoing Cerebral Embolization and Occult Etiologies.

Eleni Bakola, Lina Palaiodimou, Aikaterini Theodorou, Maria Chondrogianni, Georgia Papagiannopoulou, Anna Keramida, Stella Fanouraki, Angeliki-Erato Sterpi, Apostolos Safouris, Theodore Karapanayiotides and 7 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in European journal of neurology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Eleni BakolaSecond Department of Neurology, "Attikon" University Hospital, School of Medicine, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Lina PalaiodimouSecond Department of Neurology, "Attikon" University Hospital, School of Medicine, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.ORCID 0000-0001-7757-609X
Aikaterini TheodorouSecond Department of Neurology, "Attikon" University Hospital, School of Medicine, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.ORCID 0000-0001-7229-2610
Maria ChondrogianniSecond Department of Neurology, "Attikon" University Hospital, School of Medicine, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Georgia PapagiannopoulouSecond Department of Neurology, "Attikon" University Hospital, School of Medicine, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Anna KeramidaSecond Department of Neurology, "Attikon" University Hospital, School of Medicine, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Stella FanourakiSecond Department of Neurology, "Attikon" University Hospital, School of Medicine, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Angeliki-Erato SterpiSecond Department of Neurology, "Attikon" University Hospital, School of Medicine, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Apostolos SafourisSecond Department of Neurology, "Attikon" University Hospital, School of Medicine, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Theodore KarapanayiotidesSecond Department of Neurology, AHEPA University Hospital, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
João Sargento-FreitasDepartment of Neurology, Coimbra University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Coimbra University, Coimbra, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0003-4665-5697
Claudio BaracchiniStroke Center and Neurosonology Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience, Padua University Hospital, Padova, Italy.
Branko MalojčićDepartment of Neurology, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
Anastasios BonakisSecond Department of Neurology, "Attikon" University Hospital, School of Medicine, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
George P ParaskevasSecond Department of Neurology, "Attikon" University Hospital, School of Medicine, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Andrei V AlexandrovDepartment of Neurology, Banner University Hospital, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, United States.
Georgios TsivgoulisSecond Department of Neurology, "Attikon" University Hospital, School of Medicine, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.ORCID 0000-0002-0640-3797

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

background and purposeTranscranial Doppler (TCD) detects microembolic signals (MES), reflecting ongoing cerebral embolization. MES have been studied across stroke subtypes and may clarify etiology, monitor treatment, and predict recurrence. We aimed to determine the prevalence of MES in acute ischemic stroke (AIS), explore clinical and laboratory associations, and assess their role in etiological workup.

methodsWe conducted a prospective single-center study over 3 years including anterior circulation AIS patients within 24 h of onset. Stroke subtype was classified by TOAST criteria. Bilateral middle cerebral artery TCD monitoring was performed for 30 min to detect and quantify MES.

resultsAmong 136 patients (mean age 60.1 ± 12.4 years), MES were detected in 22 (16.2%; 95% CI: 10.4%-23.5%). MES(+) patients had more often multiple-territory infarcts (36.4% vs. 10.5%, p = 0.005), newly detected atrial fibrillation (13.6% vs. 0.9%, p = 0.013), and cancer-associated stroke (18.2% vs. 0.9%, p = 0.002), whereas cryptogenic etiology was less common (18.2% vs. 41.2%, p = 0.041). MES were absent in lacunar stroke. MES positivity correlated with higher D-dimer levels (median 932 vs. 456 ng/mL, p < 0.001), and MES counts correlated strongly with D-dimer values (Spearman coefficient: 0.393, p < 0.001).

conclusionsMES were detected in one-sixth of anterior circulation AIS patients, but were absent in lacunar stroke. Their presence was associated with multiple-territory infarcts, newly detected atrial fibrillation, and cancer-related stroke. MES counts correlated with D-dimer levels, supporting their role as markers of ongoing cerebral embolization and underlying prothrombotic state, with potential utility in revealing occult embolic mechanisms.

Indexed as

Brain IschemiaIntracranial EmbolismIschemic StrokeAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedProspective StudiesUltrasonography, Doppler, Transcranialacute ischemic strokeatrial fibrillationcancer‐associated strokemicroembolic signalstranscranial doppler

Identifiers

PMID41757737
PMCPMC12947245

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.