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Catheter treatment is not only effective, but also cost-effective for ischemic stroke

Catheter treatment is not only effective, but also cost-effective for ischemic stroke

29 September 2026

With ischemic stroke, every minute counts. However, many patients do not seek hospital care until it is too late, for example, because symptoms are not immediately recognized or because people wake up with signs of neurological deficits. As a result, a group of patients is no longer eligible for catheter treatment. 

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Platelets: more than a band-aid

Platelets: more than a band-aid

23 September 2026

Some processes in our body might seem obvious to us. If you cut your finger, the bleeding will stop shortly and form a scab. Behind that seemingly simple process hides a sophisticated system of platelets and clotting factors. By now, we know that platelets do much more than halt bleeding: they function as information carriers and regulators of disease processes. 

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Carim Maastricht
Carim Maastricht

Michiel Henkens

Michiel Henkens studied Health Sciences and Medicine at Maastricht University, obtaining his bachelor’s degrees in 2014 and his master’s degree in Medicine with distinction in 2019. During his studies, he became actively involved in research at the Departments of Pathology and Cardiology at Maastricht UMC+.

After graduating, he started as a clinical PhD candidate at the Department of Cardiology at Maastricht UMC+. His doctoral research, described in his thesis 'Improving diagnosis and risk stratification of cardiomyopathies across the ejection fraction spectrum', focused on improving the diagnosis and risk stratification of cardiomyopathies and heart failure.

In July 2022, he started his residency training in Pathology at Maastricht UMC+, which he continued at University Medical Center Utrecht in November 2025. In 2025, he also started a postgraduate Master in Cardiovascular Pathology at the University of Padua. Combining his background in cardiology with his training in pathology, he has developed a particular interest in cardiovascular and autopsy pathology, with a focus on bridging diagnostic pathology and translational cardiovascular research.

Michiel’s research (within the group of Prof. Stephane Heymans) focuses on cardiovascular pathology and translational cardiovascular research, with a particular interest in bridging clinical cardiovascular diagnosis and prognostication with tissue-based pathological findings.

Since 2021, he has led the development of the Netherlands Heart Institute Heart Tissue Bank (NLHI-Hartenbank; www.hartenbank.nl), a national initiative that facilitates cardiovascular research by providing researchers with well-characterized human cardiac tissue and associated clinical data. The continued development of the NLHI-Hartenbank is supported by funding from the Dutch Heart Foundation.

Alongside his clinical training in pathology, Michiel continues his postdoctoral research and is involved in national and international cardiovascular and pathology networks. His research interests lie particularly at the intersection of cardiovascular pathology, post-mortem diagnostics, and clinical cardiovascular research, aiming to use human cardiac tissue and clinicopathological data to improve our understanding, diagnosis, and risk stratification of cardiovascular diseases.

Michiel foto

Department of Cardiology & Pathology

  • 2026
    • Zwetsloot, P.-P., Henkens, M. T. H. M., van Iperen, E. P. A., Minten, M., van der Schaaf-de Wolf, E., van Laake, L. W., te Riele, A. S. J. M., van der Harst, P., van Setten, J., van Empel, V. P. M., Brunner-La Rocca, H.-P., Verdonschot, D. J. A. J., Cox, M. G. P. J., Christiaans, I., Ajmone Marsan, N., van Spaendonck-Zwarts, K., Barge-Schaapveld, D. Q. C. M., Cramer, E., Hoedemakers, Y. M., ... DCR Investigators (2026). The Dutch cardiomyopathy registry (DCR); rationale and registry design. Netherlands Heart Journal, 34(9), 288-298. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12471-026-02063-5
    • Dinnessen, R., Antonissen, N., Peeters, D., Gietema, H. A., Henkens, M. T. H. M., Mohamed Hoesein, F. A. A., Scholten, E. T., Schaefer-Prokop, C., & Jacobs, C. (2026). Multicentre performance and consistency of two deep learning models for malignancy probability estimation of incidental pulmonary nodules. European Radiology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-026-12787-y
    • Sikking, M. A., Peisker, F., Maatz, H., Lopez-Anguita, N., Hazebroek, M. R., Henkens, M. T. H. M., Raafs, A. G., Heymans, A. B. M., Stroeks, S. L. V. M., Abdul Hamid, M. A., Li, X., Vicenzetto, C., Caforio, A. L. P., Brunner-La Rocca, H.-P., Knackstedt, C., van Paassen, P., van Empel, V. P. M., Hubner, N., Verdonschot, J. A. J., & Heymans, S. R. B. (2026). Improved outcome up to 10 years after intravenous immunoglobulin therapy in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. European journal of heart failure. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/ejhf/xuag134
    • Dieleman, S., Kooreman, L. F. S., Henkens, M. T. H. M., Hausen, A. Z., Smidt, M. L., & Grabsch, H. I. (2026). Histiocyte Quantity in Tumor-Negative Sentinel Lymph Nodes Predicts 10-Year Disease-Free Survival in Patients With Breast Cancer. Clinical Breast Cancer, 26(3), 247-256.e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clbc.2025.11.015
    • Mourmans, S. G. J., Achten, A., Weerts, J., Scheepers, M., Barandiarán Aizpurua, A., Henkens, M., Uszko-Lencer, N., Brunner-La Rocca, H.-P., Knackstedt, C., & van Empel, V. P. M. (2026). The diagnostic yield of an elaborate workup for comorbidities in a real-life heart failure with preserved ejection fraction outpatient population. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 33(2), 276-285. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf429
  • 2025
    • Venner, M. F. G. H. M., Heymans, A. B. M., Beelen, N. J., Stroeks, S. L. V. M., Faassen, I. M. E., Sikking, M. A., Henkens, M. T. H. M., Van Der Crabben, S. N., Raafs, A. G., Heymans, S. R. B., & Verdonschot, J. A. J. (2025). Predictive value of ambulatory ECG monitoring for malignant arrhythmic events in genetic dilated cardiomyopathy. EP Europace, 27(11), Article euaf279. https://doi.org/10.1093/europace/euaf279
    • Stroeks, S. L. V. M., Merlo, M., Mora-Ayestaran, N., Jason, M., Tayal, U., Wang, P., Cannatà, A., Sikking, M. A., Dal Ferro, M., Peiro, B., Willemars, M., Hellebrekers, D. M. E. I., van Leeuwen, R. E. W., Setti, M., Gonzalez-Lopez, E., Krapels, I. P. C., Pio Loco Detto Gava, C., van den Wijngaard, A., Henkens, M. T. H. M., ... Verdonschot, J. A. J. (2025). Sex Differences in Prognosis of Patients With Genetic Dilated Cardiomyopathy. Circulation-Heart Failure, 18(11), e012592. Article 012592. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCHEARTFAILURE.124.012592
    • Sikking, M., Wiethoff, I., Henkens, M., Evers, S., Stroeks, S., Venner, M., Weerts, J., Brunner-la Rocca, H.-P., Knackstedt, C., van Empel, V., Michels, M., Heymans, S., Hiligsmann, M., & Verdonschot, J. (2025). High societal costs and reduced health-related quality of life in inflammatory and systemic immune disease-associated dilated cardiomyopathies. Quality of Life Research, 34(10), 2901-2910. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-025-04027-5
    • Weerts, J., Mourmans, S. G. J., Lopez-Martinez, H., Domingo, M., Aizpurua, A. B., Henkens, M. T. H. M., Achten, A., Lupon, J., Brunner-La Rocca, H.-P., Knackstedt, C., Bayes-Genis, A., & van Empel, V. P. M. (2025). Inter-atrial block as a predictor of adverse outcomes in patients with HFpEF. Esc heart failure, 12(3), 2287-2297. https://doi.org/10.1002/ehf2.15179
    • Stroeks, S. L. V. M., Henkens, M. T. H. M., Dominguez, F., Merlo, M., Hellebrekers, D. M. E. I., Gonzalez-Lopez, E., Dal Ferro, M., Ochoa, J. P., Venturelli, F., Claes, G. R. F., Venner, M. F. G. H. M., Krapels, I. P. C., Vanhoutte, E. K., van Paassen, P., van den Wijngaard, A., Sikking, M. A., van Leeuwen, R., Abdul Hamid, M., Li, X., ... Verdonschot, J. A. J. (2025). Genetic Landscape of Patients With Dilated Cardiomyopathy and a Systemic Immune-Mediated Disease. JACC: Heart Failure, 13(1), 133-145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jchf.2024.08.011
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