Introduction:
Technical improvement to enhance M2 occlusion thrombectomy is desirable. Tron FX® is the only stent-retriever that can be deployed through 0.0165-inch microcatheters. Here we report outcomes of blind exchange with mini-pinning (BEMP) technique using Tron stent-retrievers.
Methods:
Consecutive stroke patients with M2 occlusion treated with 2 x15 mm or 4 x 20 mm Tron stent-retrievers using the BEMP technique were included. The technique involves the deployment of a Tron stent-retriever through a 0.0165-inch microcatheter followed by microcatheter removal and blind navigation of a 3/4MAX aspiration catheter over the bare Tron delivery wire until the aspiration catheter reaches the clot,. Tron stent-retriever was inserted into aspiration catheter like corkscrew, and subsequently pulled as a unit. A first pass effect (FPE), modified FPE (mFPE) and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at 90 days were assessed as outcomes.
Results:
Fifteen M2 vessels were treated in 13 patients (5 women, median 81 years of age, and median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score 18 [11–25]). BEMP technique was successful in all cases. Whether to use 3MAX or 4MAX was determined according to the target vessel size while proceeding with the procedure (3MAX, n=8; 4MAX, n=5). Final mTICI 2b–3 was achieved in 92% (12/13). FPE and mFPE rates were 50% and 64%, respectively. Six patients (46%) were achieved in mRS score 0–2 at 3 months.
Conclusions:
Tron stent-retriever was successfully and safely used in the BEMP technique for M2 occlusion