Prospective Evaluation of a Two-Scale Protocol for Prehospital Large Vessel Occlusion Detection

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Ahmad Nehme ◽  
Samantha Rivet ◽  
Thérésa J. Choisi ◽  
Mathieu Dallaire ◽  
Luc de Montigny ◽  
...  
Author(s):  
Joshua S Catapano ◽  
Andrew F Ducruet ◽  
Felipe C Albuquerque ◽  
Ashutosh Jadhav

Introduction : Endovascular thrombectomy is the gold standard treatment for acute ischemic strokes with large vessel occlusions (LVO). Manual image analysis is often time consuming and requires clinicians to be skilled in reading perfusion scans, as well as vessel images. RapidAI software has an automated processor to detect LVO of the middle cerebral artery and is analyzed in this study. A novel metric, number‐needed‐to‐review (NNR), is introduced to assess the clinical efficiency of this software. Methods : This is a retrospective review of patients with a suspected ischemic stroke and an image processed by RapidAI software from 11/1/2020 to 4/30/2021 at a regional hospital system. Only M1 LVOs were included. Sensitivities, specificities, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated for the following: Rapid LVO detection, gaze deviation (GD), hyperdense sign (HDS), Tmax >6 seconds, and NIHSS at presentation. The NNR was calculated for an M1 occlusion. Results : 559 patients were included in this study. M1 occlusion was detected in 42 (7.5%) cases. Rapid LVO detection software was found to have a sensitivity of 71%, specificity of 94%, PPV of 49%, and NPV of 92% for a M1 occlusion. When both GD and HDS were combined with Rapid LVO, the specificity and PPV increased to 100% for a M1 occlusion. A negative LVO software combined with either a low (<15 mL on Tmax >6s) or high (<50 mL on Tmax >6s) Tmax threshold were found to have a specificity and PPV of 100% for no M1 occlusion. The combination of GD, HDS, Rapid LVO+ (for M1 occlusion) and Rapid LVO‐ with a low Tmax threshold (for no M1 occlusion) yielded 24 images NNR per 100 cases. When the combination of GD, HDS, Rapid LVO+ was combined with Rapid LVO‐ and a high Tmax threshold, the NNR per 100 cases was 16. With the addition of NIHSS<7 for the remaining cases in the high Tmax group, the NNR per 100 cases decreased to 9. Conclusions : The addition of GD and HDS to the Rapid LVO increases the specificity and PPV for a M1 occlusion. When combined with a negative Rapid LVO detection and either a low or high Tmax >6s threshold, the NNR is significantly decreased. As few as 9 images per 100 would be needed to be manually reviewed by a clinician during stroke triage.


2020 ◽  
Vol 132 (4) ◽  
pp. 1202-1208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong-Hun Kang ◽  
Woong Yoon ◽  
Byung Hyun Baek ◽  
Seul Kee Kim ◽  
Yun Young Lee ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVEThe optimal front-line thrombectomy choice for primary recanalization of a target artery remains unknown for patients with acute large-vessel occlusion (LVO) and an underlying intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS). The authors aimed to compare procedural characteristics and outcomes between patients who received a stent-retriever thrombectomy (SRT) and patients who received a contact aspiration thrombectomy (CAT), as the front-line approach for treating LVO due to severe underlying ICAS.METHODSOne hundred thirty patients who presented with acute LVO and underlying severe ICAS at the occlusion site were included. Procedural characteristics and treatment outcomes were compared between patients treated with front-line SRT (n = 70) and those treated with front-line CAT (n = 60). The primary outcomes were the rate of switching to an alternative thrombectomy technique, time from groin puncture to initial reperfusion, and duration of the procedure. Initial reperfusion was defined as revealing the underlying culprit stenosis with an antegrade flow after thrombectomy.RESULTSThe rate of switching to an alternative thrombectomy after failure of the front-line technique was significantly higher in the CAT group than in the SRT group (40% vs 4.3%; OR 2.543, 95% CI 1.893–3.417, p < 0.001). The median time from puncture to initial reperfusion (17 vs 31 minutes, p < 0.001) and procedure duration (39 vs 75.5 minutes, p < 0.001) were significantly shorter in the SRT group than in the CAT group. In the binary logistic regression analysis, a longer time from puncture to initial reperfusion was an independent predictor of a 90-day poor (modified Rankin Scale score 3–6) functional outcome (per 1-minute increase; OR 1.029, 95% CI 1.008–1.050, p = 0.006).CONCLUSIONSThe authors’ results suggest that SRT may be more effective than CAT for identifying underlying culprit stenosis and therefore considered the optimal front-line thrombectomy technique in acute stroke patients with LVO and severe underlying ICAS.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document