Intravenous Thrombolysis Facilitates Successful Recanalization with Stent-Retriever Mechanical Thrombectomy in Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusions

Author(s):  
Daniel Behme ◽  
Christoph Kabbasch ◽  
Annika Kowoll ◽  
Franziska Dorn ◽  
Thomas Liebig ◽  
...  
2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Wetter ◽  
Mi-Rim Shin ◽  
D. Meila ◽  
F. Brassel ◽  
M. Schlunz-Hendann

We describe a case of combined mechanical thrombectomy of the right middle cerebral artery and stent angioplasty of the right internal carotid artery in a severe stroke caused by arterio-arterial embolism due to a traumatic dissection of the internal carotid artery. The patient was admitted with an NIHSS score of 19 and was discharged from hospital with a score of 2. Three months later neurological examination disclosed no pathological findings. The case demonstrates the crucial role of interventional procedures in the treatment of severe stroke where intravenous thrombolysis has little prospect of success.


2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 83-89
Author(s):  
Ihtesham A. Qureshi ◽  
Alberto Maud ◽  
Salvador Cruz-Flores ◽  
Gustavo J. Rodriguez

Background and Purpose: In this article, we present our experience with the recanalization of the middle cerebral artery (MCA), we hypothesize that there are higher rates of recanalization with fewer stent retriever passes and better clinical outcomes in patients with division MCA occlusions. A more complex anatomy at the bifurcation may prevent a faster recanalization in main trunk MCA occlusions. Methods: We retrospectively identified consecutive patients admitted with MCA occlusions who underwent mechanical thrombectomy using stent retrievers. We categorized patients into division MCA and main trunk MCA occlusions based on angiography. Variables were compared between the groups. We further analyzed patients with trunk MCA occlusions to identify reasons for delays in recanalization. Results: There were 32 MCA occlusions that underwent mechanical thrombectomy and eligible for the analysis during the study period. Of those, 11 were main trunk MCA occlusions. Univariate analysis disclosed a trend toward a lower GP-to-recanalization time (p = 0.05) and a lower number of passes required for recanalization in division MCA occlusions. However, there was a significantly better outcome in patients with division MCA occlusion after multivariate analysis. Analyzing main trunk MCA occlusion data, we found that the need for more than one pass to achieve recanalization led to a trend toward a longer GP-to-recanalization time and a worse outcome. When the stent was placed in the dominant division, the chances of recanalization were significantly higher. Conclusions: Division MCA occlusions have higher recanalization rates with fewer stent retriever passes and better clinical outcomes than main trunk MCA occlusions, likely due to a more favorable anatomy. Measures like placing the stent retriever in the dominant division may decrease recanalization times and improve clinical outcomes in main trunk MCA occlusions.


Medicina ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 56 (7) ◽  
pp. 357
Author(s):  
Marius Kurminas ◽  
Andrius Berūkštis ◽  
Nerijus Misonis ◽  
Karmela Blank ◽  
Algirdas Edvardas Tamošiūnas ◽  
...  

Background and Objectives: Pretreatment with intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) is still recommended in all eligible acute ischemic stroke patients with large-vessel occlusion before mechanical thrombectomy (MTE). However, the added value and safety of bridging therapy versus direct MTE remains controversial. We aimed at evaluating the influence of r-tPA dose level in patients with middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion treated with MTE. Materials and Methods: We prospectively compared clinical and radiological outcomes in 38 bridging patients, with 65 receiving direct MTE for MCA stroke admitted to Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Clinics. Following our protocol, r-tPA infusion was stopped just before MTE in the operating room. Therefore, we divided all bridging patients into three groups according to the amount of r-tPA they received: bolus, partial dose or full dose. Functional independence at 90 days was assessed by a modified Rankin Scale score, i.e., from 0–2. The safety outcomes included 90-day mortality and any intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Results: Baseline characteristics and functional outcome at 90 days did not differ between the bridging and direct MTE groups. Shorter MTE procedure and hospitalization time (p = 0.025 and p = 0.036, respectively) were observed in the direct MTE group. An IVT treatment subgroup analysis showed higher rates of symptomatic ICH (p < 0.001) and longer intervals between imaging to MTE (p = 0.005) in the full r-tPA dose group. Conclusions: In patients with an MCA stroke, direct MTE seems to be a safe and equally effective as bridging therapy. The optimal r-tPA dose remains unclear. Randomized trials are needed to accurately evaluate the added value of r-tPA in patients treated with MTE.


2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. E4
Author(s):  
Sandeep Kandregula ◽  
Amey R. Savardekar ◽  
Pankaj Sharma ◽  
Jerry McLarty ◽  
Jennifer Kosty ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVE A paradigm shift in the management of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) due to large-vessel occlusion (LVO) occurred after 2015 when 7 randomized controlled trials demonstrated better outcomes using second-generation thrombectomy devices combined with best medical management than did stand-alone intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). All recently published landmark trials were designed to study the outcome of mechanical thrombectomy (MT); therefore, the majority of the patients enrolled in these trials received intravenous tPA. Currently, initiating IVT before MT is a matter of debate. Recent trials (DIRECT-MT, DEVT) exploring this clinical question showed noninferiority of MT alone compared with the combined treatment. With this uncertainty, the authors aimed to explore real-world data through the latest National Inpatient Sample (NIS) to compare the safety and outcomes of MT alone with bridging IVT and MT in AIS due to LVO in the middle cerebral artery (MCA). METHODS NIS data from 2017 to 2018 were analyzed to compare the outcomes and safety profiles of patients who underwent MT+IVT with those who underwent MT alone. RESULTS A total of 2895 patients were included in the final analysis (MT, n = 1669; MT+IVT, n = 1226). The mean National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was 16.2 (SD 6.1) in the MT group and 16.6 (SD 5.97) in the MT+IVT group (p = 0.04). With respect to comorbidities, the two groups did not differ in rates of hypertension (p = 0.730), atrial fibrillation/flutter (p = 0.828), and smoking status (p = 0.914). The rate of diabetes mellitus was significantly higher in the MT group (28%) than in the MT+IVT group (22.1%) (p < 0.001). The frequency of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in the MT group was 17.7% (n = 296) and 21.5% (n = 263) in the MT+IVT group (p = 0.012). Intraventricular hemorrhage (p = 0.875), subarachnoid hemorrhage (p = 0.99), and vasospasm (p = 0.976) did not differ significantly between the groups. The primary outcome considered was disability status between the groups; 23.8% of patients in the MT+IVT group had minimal disability versus 18.2% in the MT group (p = 0.001). The risk of progressing to severe disability from minimal disability decreased with the addition of IVT to MT (OR 0.762, 95% CI 0.637–0.912). The adjusted odds ratio for ICH in the MT+IVT group was 1.28 (95% CI 1.043–1.571, p = 0.018) and 2.676 (95% CI 1.259–5.686, p = 0.01) for access-site hemorrhages. CONCLUSIONS In the analysis of the NIS database, the MT+IVT group had significantly higher rates of minimal disability at the time of hospital discharge versus the MT-alone group, despite a higher rate of ICH. The question of whether to treat patients with MT+IVT rather than MT alone is currently being addressed in ongoing prospective clinical trials (SWIFT-DIRECT [NCT03494920], MR CLEAN–NO IV [ISRCTN80619088], and DIRECT-SAFE [NCT03494920]). The results of these studies will contribute to greater understanding and progressive improvement in outcomes for AIS patients.


2021 ◽  
pp. 131-136
Author(s):  
Tomoyuki Yoshihara ◽  
Ryuzaburo Kanazawa ◽  
Takanori Uchida ◽  
Tetsuhiro Higashida ◽  
Hidenori Ohbuchi ◽  
...  

<b><i>Background:</i></b> The impact of the length of the occluded vessel in acute large-vessel occlusion on successful reperfusion by mechanical thrombectomy remains unclear. This study evaluated whether diameter and length of the occluded vessel in acute middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion might relate to successful reperfusion following mechanical thrombectomy. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> This retrospective study included patients with acute MCA occlusion who underwent intra-aortic injection of contrast medium to obtain maximum intensity projection (MIP) images acquired by flat-panel detector computed tomography (FD-CT) equipped with an angiographic system. All patients received mechanical thrombectomy and were divided into two groups: those with successful reperfusion (Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction [TICI] 2b/3) and those without. We compared the diameter and length of the occluded vessel between the groups. In the sub-analysis of patients with stent retriever use, ratio of length of occluded vessel to length of the active zone was compared. <b><i>Results:</i></b> We enrolled 29 patients (median age: 73, M1 occlusion: 51%, stent retriever use: 72%). Eighteen patients achieved TICI 2b/3 with significantly larger distal end diameter (1.7 [interquartile range: 1.5–1.9] vs. 1.2 [1.2–1.5] mm, <i>p</i> = 0.007) and shorter length (7.1 [4.9–9.7] vs. 12.3 [7.2–15.8] mm, <i>p</i> = 0.043) of the occluded vessel. Sub-analysis of 21 patients showed that the cut-off value for TICI 2b/3 reperfusion was 0.32 as the ratio between the occluded vessel and stent retriever active zone (receiver operating characteristic area under the curve: 0.90). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> In acute MCA occlusion, larger diameter of the distal end and shorter length of the occluded vessel on FD-CT MIP images might indicate a higher possibility of achieving TICI 2b/3 following mechanical thrombectomy.


2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 218-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tetsuya Ioku ◽  
Keisuke Imai ◽  
Masashi Hamanaka ◽  
Hidekazu Yamazaki ◽  
Masahiro Itsukage ◽  
...  

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