Triglyceride Glucose Index and Stress Hyperglycemia are Important Factors for Predicting Early Neurological Deterioration in Isolated Acute Pontine Infarction

Objective The triglyceride‐glucose (TyG) index and stress hyperglycemia (quantified as fasting plasma glucose/glycosylated hemoglobin ratio, GAR) are strongly associated with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) progression and adverse clinical outcomes. However, the relationship between the TyG index, GAR, and early neurological deterioration (END) in isolated acute pontine infarction (IAPI) patients remained undefined. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic value of the TyG index and GAR for END in patients with IAPI. Methods This study enrolled 192 patients diagnosed with IAPI at Jiangsu Province (Suqian) Hospital between March 2022 and June 2024. Patients were stratified into END and non‐END groups based on National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) criteria. Clinical data and hematological indicators of the two groups were collected, and the TyG index and GAR were calculated. Risk factors for END were analyzed by multifactorial logistic regression. The diagnostic value of the risk factors was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results Among 192 participants, 53 (27.6%) developed END. Significant intergroup differences were observed in baseline NIHSS scores, IAPI etiological subtypes, TG, LDL‐C, FPG, TyG index, and GAR (all p < 0.05). The TyG index and GAR were risk factors for END by multivariate logistic analysis (all p < 0.05). ROC analysis revealed AUC values of 0.769 (95% CI: 0.657–0.841, p < 0.001) for the TyG index and 0.752 (95% CI: 0.632–0.826, p < 0.001) for GAR in predicting END. The optimal cut‐off values were 8.52 and 18.72. The area under the curve of the combined prediction END of the TyG index and GAR was 0.839 (95% CI: 0.728‐0.882, p < 0.001). Conclusion Elevated TyG index and GAR serve as independent risk factors for END in IAPI patients, demonstrating significant diagnostic potential as combined biomarkers.