Browsing by Author "Brunetti, Enzo"
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Item Breaking the breach in Latin America: A pilot study of mechanical thrombectomy in the public healthcare system in Chile(2021) Rivera, Rodrigo; Amudio, Cristian; Brunetti, Enzo; Catalan, Pascual; Sordo, Juan Gabriel; Badilla, Lautaro; Echeverria, Daniel; Cruz, Juan Pablo; Ojeda, Hector; Bravo, Loreto; Bravo, Fabian; González, Walter; Orellana, Maria Luisa; Pinto, Camila; Merino, Catalina; Oportus, Monica; Salazar, AlejandroBackground: Mechanical Thrombectomy (MT) is the standard of care for treatment of large vessel occlusion stroke. Until the beginning of 2020 MT was not funded nor widely implemented at the public healthcare level in Chile. Objective: To describe the results of a pilot program created to provide access to public MT in Santiago - Chile. Methods: Analysis from a prospectively collected database of MT cases performed between September 2017 and September 2019 in one center. A stroke network was developed with a single MT capable stroke center and five primary stroke centers. The primary efficacy endpoint was the rate of functional independence (mRS 0-2) at 90 days. Successful reperfusion was defined as 2 b-3 according to the thrombolysis in cerebral infarction scale. Safety outcomes include the rates of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage and 90-day mortality. Results: A total of 100 patients were treated over the study period. Their mean age was 62.8 11.8 years and median baseline National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) measurement was 17. Seventy-seven percent of the patients received intra venous thrombolysis. Successful reperfusion was achieved in 95% of the cases. NIHSS at 24 hours showed a median drop of 7 points from baseline (p < 0.00001) and 50% of the follow-up patients were functionally independent at 90 days. Symptomatic Intracerebral hemorrhage occurred in 5% of the patients and 90-day all case mortality was 11%. Conclusions: We demonstrated the feasibility of a publicly funded MT program in Chile, with similar results as other international randomized control trials.Publication Visual-spatial processing impairment in the occipital-frontal connectivity network at early stages of Alzheimer's disease(2023) Plaza, Iván; Brunetti, Enzo; Montefusco, Rodrigo; Madariaga, Samuel; Hafelin, Rodrigo; Madariaga, Samuel; Ponce, Daniela; Behrens, María; Maldonado, Pedro; Lima, AndreaIntroduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia worldwide, but its pathophysiological phenomena are not fully elucidated. Many neurophysiological markers have been suggested to identify early cognitive impairments of AD. However, the diagnosis of this disease remains a challenge for specialists. In the present cross-sectional study, our objective was to evaluate the manifestations and mechanisms underlying visual-spatial deficits at the early stages of AD. Methods: We combined behavioral, electroencephalography (EEG), and eye movement recordings during the performance of a spatial navigation task (a virtual version of the Morris Water Maze adapted to humans). Participants (69-88 years old) with amnesic mild cognitive impairment-Clinical Dementia Rating scale (aMCI-CDR 0.5) were selected as probable early AD (eAD) by a neurologist specialized in dementia. All patients included in this study were evaluated at the CDR 0.5 stage but progressed to probable AD during clinical follow-up. An equal number of matching healthy controls (HCs) were evaluated while performing the navigation task. Data were collected at the Department of Neurology of the Clinical Hospital of the Universidad de Chile and the Department of Neuroscience of the Faculty of Universidad de Chile. Results: Participants with aMCI preceding AD (eAD) showed impaired spatial learning and their visual exploration differed from the control group. eAD group did not clearly prefer regions of interest that could guide solving the task, while controls did. The eAD group showed decreased visual occipital evoked potentials associated with eye fixations, recorded at occipital electrodes. They also showed an alteration of the spatial spread of activity to parietal and frontal regions at the end of the task. The control group presented marked occipital activity in the beta band (15-20 Hz) at early visual processing time. The eAD group showed a reduction in beta band functional connectivity in the prefrontal cortices reflecting poor planning of navigation strategies. Discussion: We found that EEG signals combined with visual-spatial navigation analysis, yielded early and specific features that may underlie the basis for understanding the loss of functional connectivity in AD. Still, our results are clinically promising for early diagnosis required to improve quality of life and decrease healthcare costs.