Neurologic complications of infective endocarditis (IE) are common and frequently life threatening. Neurologic events are not always obvious. The prediction and management of neurologic complications of IE are not easily approached algorithmically, and the impact they have on timing and ability to surgically repair or replace the affected valve often requires a painstaking evaluation and joint effort across multiple medical disciplines in order to achieve the best possible outcome. Although specific recommendations are always tailored to the individual patient, there are some guiding principles that can be used to help direct the decision-making process. Herein, we review the pathophysiology, epidemiology, manifestations, and diagnosis of neurological complications of IE and further consider the impact they have on clinical decision making.

Background and Purpose—: Cervical artery dissection is a common cause of stroke in young people. The temporal profile of stroke risk after cervical artery dissection presenting without ischemia remains uncertain. Methods—: We performed a crossover cohort study using administrative claims data on all emergency department visits and acute care hospitalizations from 2005 to 2011 in CA, 2006 to 2013 in NY, and 2005 to 2013 in FL. Using previously validated International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes, we identified patients with a cervical artery dissection and no previous or concurrent stroke or transient ischemic attack diagnosis. We compared the risk of stroke in successive 2-week periods during the 12 weeks after dissection versus the corresponding 2-week period 1 year later. Absolute risk increases were calculated using McNemar test for matched data. In a sensitivity analysis, we limited our population to patients presenting with typical symptoms of cervical artery dissection. Results—: We identified 2791 patients with dissection without ischemia. The absolute increase in stroke risk was 1.25% (95% confidence interval, 0.84–1.67%) in the first 2 weeks after dissection compared with the same time period 1 year later. The absolute risk increase was 0.18% (95% confidence interval, 0.02–0.34%) during weeks 3 to 4 and was no longer significant during the remainder of the 12-week postdissection period. Our findings were similar in a sensitivity analysis identifying patients who presented with typical symptoms of acute dissection. Conclusions—: The risk of stroke after cervical artery dissection unaccompanied by ischemia at time of diagnosis seems to be limited to the first 2 weeks.

Background and Purpose—: We sought to determine the long-term risk of seizures after stroke according to age, sex, race, and stroke subtype. Methods—: We performed a retrospective cohort study using administrative claims from 2 complementary patient data sets. First, we analyzed data from all emergency department visits and hospitalizations in California, Florida, and New York from 2005 to 2013. Second, we evaluated inpatient and outpatient claims from a nationally representative 5% random sample of Medicare beneficiaries. Our cohort consisted of all adults at the time of acute stroke hospitalization without a prior history of seizures. Our outcome was seizure occurring after hospital discharge for stroke. Poisson regression and demographic data were used to calculate age-, sex-, and race-standardized incidence rate ratios (IRR). Results—: Among 777 276 patients in the multistate cohort, the annual incidence of seizures was 1.68% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.67%–1.70%) after stroke versus 0.15% (95% CI, 0.15%–0.15%) among the general population (IRR, 7.3; 95% CI, 7.3–7.4). By 8 years, the cumulative rate of any emergency department visit or hospitalization for seizure was 9.27% (95% CI, 9.16%–9.38%) after stroke versus 1.21% (95% CI, 1.21%–1.22%) in the general population. Stroke was more strongly associated with a subsequent seizure among patients <65 years of age (IRR, 12.0; 95% CI, 11.9–12.2) than in patients ≥65 years of age (IRR, 5.5; 95% CI, 5.4–5.5) and in the multistate analysis, the association between stroke and seizure was stronger among nonwhite patients (IRR, 11.0; 95% CI, 10.8–11.2) than among white patients (IRR, 7.3; 95% CI, 7.2–7.4). Risks were especially elevated after intracerebral hemorrhage (IRR, 13.3; 95% CI, 13.0–13.6) and subarachnoid hemorrhage (IRR, 13.2; 95% CI, 12.8–13.7). Our study of Medicare beneficiaries confirmed these findings. Conclusions—: Almost 10% of patients with stroke will develop seizures within a decade. Hemorrhagic stroke, nonwhite race, and younger age seem to confer the greatest risk of developing seizures.