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Deriving a Simple Clinical Predictive Score for Posterior Circulation Ischemic Stroke (PCS-SCORE)

delete2026-02-12
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PRE
AI
Y
Yahia Imam
P
Prem Chandra
I
Ishrat Hakeem
S
Saadat Kamran
A
Ahmad Muhammad
S
Salman Al Jerdi
S
Suhail Hussain
K
Khawaja Hassan Haroon
J
Jon Perkins
A
Ahmed Elsotouhy
M
Mohamed Sayed Abdelmoneim
Z
Zain A. Bhutta
M
Mostafa Mahmoud
E
Ehab Mahmoud
O
Osman Koc
DOI:10.1177/11795735261424050delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
<jats:sec> <jats:title>Background</jats:title> <jats:p>Posterior circulation ischemic stroke (PCS) accounts for up to 25% of all ischemic strokes but remains frequently under-recognized due to atypical symptoms and poor representation in conventional stroke scales. Early diagnosis is critical yet challenging. This study aimed to derive a pragmatic clinical scoring tool, the PCS-SCORE, to identify patients at high risk of PCS based solely on bedside features.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Methods</jats:title> <jats:p>We retrospectively analyzed 5163 patients from a prospective stroke registry, including 1571 with -confirmed PCS. Key predictors were identified through multivariable logistic regression and lasso modeling. Variables were weighted according to regression coefficients and clinical relevance. The final PCS-SCORE (0-9 points) included: diabetes (1 point), hypertension (1), male sex (1), double/blurred vision (2), vertigo with vomiting (2), and incoordination (2).</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Results</jats:title> <jats:p>At a score threshold &gt;3, the PCS-SCORE achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.76, with 87.9% specificity and 43.4% sensitivity. Raising the threshold to &gt;4 increased specificity to 94.4% (sensitivity 27.9%). Higher scores corresponded with progressively increased likelihood of PCS, enabling confident identification of high-risk patients.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Conclusion</jats:title> <jats:p>The PCS-SCORE is a simple, highly specific bedside tool for early detection of posterior circulation strokes. Its rule-in strength makes it especially useful in prehospital settings, resource-limited environments, and crowded emergency departments. Prospective validation is ongoing.</jats:p> </jats:sec>
Keywords:
Posterior circulation ischemic stroke
Clinical scoring tool
PCS-SCORE
Bedside diagnosis
Stroke prediction

Journal

J
Journal of Central Nervous System Disease
IF:
2.8
Papers:
57
Citations:
709

Organization

H
hamad medical corporation
Scholars:
4.8K
Papers: 2.6K
Citations: 2
W
weill cornell medicine
Scholars:
1.8K
Papers: 839
Citations: 0
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