Outcomes
The postoperative outcomes are shown in Table 3. There was no mortality, and none of the patients had stroke (Table 3). In total, 26 (14.9%) patients were diagnosed with SBI based on the postoperative MRI findings. The incidence of SBI after each surgery is shown in Table 4. Two (7.7%) patients had a history of stroke. The patients were categorized according to severity: A) 1–3 DWI spots measuring <10 mm (n=22) and B) >3 DWI spots measuring <10 mm (n=4).
The total number of SBI lesions in 26 patients was 61. Based on the shape and size of the lesion, the etiology of SBI was interpreted as embolism due to microdebris and air by MRI image reading. The anatomical location and number of SBIs are summarized in Table 5. The location of ischemic foci was divided into cerebrovascular territories, including watershed regions. In total, 34 (56%) SBI lesions were in the right hemisphere and 27 (44%) in the left hemisphere. Most SBIs were observed in the posterior cerebral artery territory.
In the univariate analysis, the patients with SBI were older than those without SBI (P <0.05), and the number of patients with AS was higher than that of patients without SBI (P <0.05; Table 1). Meanwhile, the multivariate analysis revealed that the risk factor for postoperative SBI was aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis (odds ratio: 2.668, 95% confidence interval: 1.054–6.754, P=0.038; Table 6). There was no recorded death among the patients diagnosed with SBI who were discharged from the hospital.