Impact of lipid profiles on parenchymal hemorrhage and early outcome after mechanical thrombectomy

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the association of lipid parameters with parenchymal hemorrhage (PH) and early neurological improvement (ENI) after mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in stroke patients. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed consecutive patients who underwent MT between January 2019 and February 2022 at a tertiary stroke center. PH was diagnosed and classified as PH-1 and PH-2 according to the European Cooperative Acute Stroke Study definition. ENI was defined as a decrease in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score by ≥8 or an NIHSS score of ≤1 at 24 h after MT. RESULTS: Among 155 patients, PH occurred in 41 (26.5%) patients, and 34 (21.9%) patients achieved ENI. In multivariate analysis, lower triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (TG/HDL-C) value (OR = 0.51; 95% CI 0.30-0.89; p = 0.017) and higher HDL-C level (OR = 5.83; 95% CI 1.26-26.99; p = 0.024) were independently associated with PH. The combination of TG <0.77 mmol/L and HDL-C ≥ 0.85 mmol/L was the strongest predictor of PH (OR = 10.73; 95% CI 2.89-39.87; p < 0.001). A low HDL-C level was an independent predictor of ENI (OR 0.13; 95% CI 0.02-0.95; p = 0.045), and PH partially accounts for the failure of ENI in patients with higher HDL-C levels (estimate: -0.05; 95% CI: -0.11 to -0.01; p = 0.016). INTERPRETATION: The combination of lower TG level and higher HDL-C level can predict PH after MT. Postprocedural PH partially accounts for the failure of ENI in patients with higher HDL-C levels. Further studies into the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this observation are of interest.