Decompensated liver disease complicated by acute stroke caused by multiple factors: a clinical analysis of 15 cases

Objective To investigate the clinical features of patients with decompensated liver disease complicated by acute stroke. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 15 patients who were hospitalized in Beijing You'an Hospital,Capital Medical University and diagnosed with decompensated liver disease complicated by acute stroke from January 2011 to December 2015,including medical history,neurological manifestations,treatment,and prognostic features. Results Among the 15 patients,11 had acute hemorrhagic stroke( AHS),and 4 had acute ischemic stroke( AIS); among the 11 patients with AHS,4( 36. 36%) had hemorrhage caused by brain metastatic tumor of liver cancer( tumor- associated stroke),and 3( 27. 27%) were complicated by liver failure. Among the 15 patients,12( 80%) had disturbance of consciousness as the early neurological manifestation,and the confirmed diagnosis was made based on head CT findings; the treatment mainly included symptomatic support and rehabilitation training. The patients with AHS had poor prognosis.Four( 26. 67%) of the 15 AHS patients died,among these patients,2 had liver failure complicated by AHS,1 had liver cirrhosis complicated by AHS,and 1 had brain metastases complicated by AHS. Conclusion Patients with decompensated liver disease complicated by acute stroke tend to develop the manifestations of AHS,which may be related to a poor clotting mechanism and brain metastasis of liver cancer,and have poor prognosis. Head CT scan should be performed for patients with decompensated liver disease accompanied by neuropsychiatric abnormalities as early as possible to help with early diagnosis and timely treatment.