Preventing vessel perforations in endovascular thrombectomy: feasibility and safety of passing the clot with a microcatheter without microwire: the wireless microcatheter technique

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 653-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annika Keulers ◽  
Omid Nikoubashman ◽  
Anastasios Mpotsaris ◽  
Scott D Wilson ◽  
Martin Wiesmann

BackgroundTo place a stent retriever for thrombectomy in acute ischemic stroke, the clot has to be passed first. A microwire is usually used for this maneuver. As an alternative, a wireless microcatheter can be used to pass the clot.ObjectiveTo analyze the feasibility and complication rates of passing the clot using either a microwire or a wireless microcatheter.MethodsA retrospective non-randomized analysis of 110 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke in the anterior circulation was performed, in whom video recordings of mechanical thrombectomies were available. In total, 203 attempts at mechanical recanalization were performed.ResultsSuccessful recanalization (TICI 2b–3) was achieved in 97.3% of patients. In 71.8% of attempts the clot was successfully passed using a wireless microcatheter only. When a microwire was used initially, clot passage was successful in 95.3% of attempts. Complication rates for angiographically detectable subarachnoid hemorrhage were 6.1% when a microwire was used to pass the clot compared with 0% when a wireless microcatheter was used (p<0.001). Complication rates for angiographically occult circumscribed subarachnoid contrast extravasation observed on post-interventional CT scans were 18.2% when a microwire was used to pass the clot and 4.5% when a wireless microcatheter was used (p<0.001).ConclusionsIn most cases of mechanical recanalization the clot can be passed with a wireless microcatheter instead of a microwire. In our study this method significantly reduced the risk for vessel perforation and subarachnoid hemorrhage. We therefore recommend the use of this technique whenever possible.

Stroke ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (10) ◽  
pp. 2842-2850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wouter H. Hinsenveld ◽  
Inger R. de Ridder ◽  
Robert J. van Oostenbrugge ◽  
Jan A. Vos ◽  
Adrien E. Groot ◽  
...  

Background and Purpose— Endovascular treatment (EVT) of patients with acute ischemic stroke because of large vessel occlusion involves complicated logistics, which may cause a delay in treatment initiation during off-hours. This might lead to a worse functional outcome. We compared workflow intervals between endovascular treatment–treated patients presenting during off- and on-hours. Methods— We retrospectively analyzed data from the MR CLEAN Registry, a prospective, multicenter, observational study in the Netherlands and included patients with an anterior circulation large vessel occlusion who presented between March 2014 and June 2016. Off-hours were defined as presentation on Monday to Friday between 17:00 and 08:00 hours, weekends (Friday 17:00 to Monday 8:00) and national holidays. Primary end point was first door to groin time. Secondary end points were functional outcome at 90 days (modified Rankin Scale) and workflow time intervals. We stratified for transfer status, adjusted for prognostic factors, and used linear and ordinal regression models. Results— We included 1488 patients of which 936 (62.9%) presented during off-hours. Median first door to groin time was 140 minutes (95% CI, 110–182) during off-hours and 121 minutes (95% CI, 85–157) during on-hours. Adjusted first door to groin time was 14.6 minutes (95% CI, 9.3–20.0) longer during off-hours. Door to needle times for intravenous therapy were slightly longer (3.5 minutes, 95% CI, 0.7–6.3) during off-hours. Groin puncture to reperfusion times did not differ between groups. For transferred patients, the delay within the intervention center was 5.0 minutes (95% CI, 0.5–9.6) longer. There was no significant difference in functional outcome between patients presenting during off- and on-hours (adjusted odds ratio, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.74–1.14). Reperfusion rates and complication rates were similar. Conclusions— Presentation during off-hours is associated with a slight delay in start of endovascular treatment in patients with acute ischemic stroke. This treatment delay did not translate into worse functional outcome or increased complication rates.


2020 ◽  
pp. neurintsurg-2020-015957 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Benson ◽  
Seyed Mohammad Seyedsaadat ◽  
Ian Mark ◽  
Deena M Nasr ◽  
Alejandro A Rabinstein ◽  
...  

BackgroundTo assess if leukoaraiosis severity is associated with outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) following endovascular thrombectomy, and to propose a leukoaraiosis-related modification to the ASPECTS score.MethodsA retrospective review was completed of AIS patients that underwent mechanical thrombectomy for anterior circulation large vessel occlusion. The primary outcome measure was 90-day mRS. A proposed Leukoaraiosis-ASPECTS (“L-ASPECTS”) was calculated by subtracting from the traditional ASPECT based on leukoaraiosis severity (1 point subtracted if mild, 2 if moderate, 3 if severe). L-ASEPCTS score performance was validated using a consecutive cohort of 75 AIS LVO patients.Results174 patients were included in this retrospective analysis: average age: 68.0±9.1. 28 (16.1%) had no leukoaraiosis, 66 (37.9%) had mild, 62 (35.6%) had moderate, and 18 (10.3%) had severe. Leukoaraiosis severity was associated with worse 90-day mRS among all patients (P=0.0005). Both L-ASPECTS and ASPECTS were associated with poor outcomes, but the area under the curve (AUC) was higher with L-ASPECTS (P<0.0001 and AUC=0.7 for L-ASPECTS; P=0.04 and AUC=0.59 for ASPECTS). In the validation cohort, the AUC for L-ASPECTS was 0.79 while the AUC for ASPECTS was 0.70. Of patients that had successful reperfusion (mTICI 2b/3), the AUC for traditional ASPECTS in predicting good functional outcome was 0.80: AUC for L-ASPECTS was 0.89.ConclusionsLeukoaraiosis severity on pre-mechanical thrombectomy NCCT is associated with worse 90-day outcome in patients with AIS following endovascular recanalization, and is an independent risk factor for worse outcomes. A proposed L-ASPECTS score had stronger association with outcome than the traditional ASPECTS score.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1132-1136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dylan N Wolman ◽  
Michael Iv ◽  
Max Wintermark ◽  
Gregory Zaharchuk ◽  
Michael P Marks ◽  
...  

Background and purposeAcute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients who benefit from endovascular treatment have a large vessel occlusion (LVO), small core infarction, and salvageable brain. We determined if diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI) alone can correctly identify and localize anterior circulation LVO and accurately triage patients to endovascular thrombectomy (ET).Materials and methodsThis retrospective cohort study included patients undergoing MRI for the evaluation of AIS symptoms. DWI and PWI images alone were anonymized and scored for cerebral infarction, LVO presence and LVO location, DWI-PWI mismatch, and ET candidacy. Readers were blinded to clinical data. The primary outcome measure was accurate ET triage. Secondary outcomes were detection of LVO and LVO location.ResultsTwo hundred and nineteen patients were included. Seventy-three patients (33%) underwent endovascular AIS treatment. Readers correctly and concordantly triaged 70 of 73 patients (96%) to ET (κ=0.938; P=0.855) and correctly excluded 143 of 146 patients (98%; P=0.942). DWI and PWI alone had a 95.9% sensitivity and a 98.4% specificity for accurate endovascular triage. LVO were accurately localized to the ICA/M1 segment in 65 of 68 patients (96%; κ=0.922; P=0.817) and the M2 segment in 18 of 20 patients (90%; κ=0.830; P=0.529).ConclusionAIS patients with anterior circulation LVO are accurately identified using DWI and PWI alone, and LVO location may be correctly inferred from PWI. MRA omission may be considered to expedite AIS triage in hyperacute scenarios or may confidently supplant non-diagnostic or artifact-limited MRA.


2018 ◽  
Vol 128 (2) ◽  
pp. 567-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Stapleton ◽  
Thabele M. Leslie-Mazwi ◽  
Collin M. Torok ◽  
Reza Hakimelahi ◽  
Joshua A. Hirsch ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVEEndovascular thrombectomy in patients with acute ischemic stroke caused by occlusion of the proximal anterior circulation arteries is superior to standard medical therapy. Stentriever thrombectomy with or without aspiration assistance was the predominant technique used in the 5 randomized controlled trials that demonstrated the superiority of endovascular thrombectomy. Other studies have highlighted the efficacy of a direct aspiration first-pass technique (ADAPT).METHODSTo compare the angiographic and clinical outcomes of ADAPT versus stentriever thrombectomy in patients with emergent large vessel occlusions (ELVO) of the anterior intracranial circulation, the records of 134 patients who were treated between June 2012 and October 2015 were reviewed.RESULTSWithin this cohort, 117 patients were eligible for evaluation. ADAPT was used in 47 patients, 20 (42.5%) of whom required rescue stentriever thrombectomy, and primary stentriever thrombectomy was performed in 70 patients. Patients in the ADAPT group were slightly younger than those in the stentriever group (63.5 vs 69.4 years; p = 0.04); however, there were no differences in the other baseline clinical or radiographic factors. Procedural time (54.0 vs 77.1 minutes; p < 0.01) and time to a Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (TICI) scale score of 2b/3 recanalization (294.3 vs 346.7 minutes; p < 0.01) were significantly lower in patients undergoing ADAPT versus stentriever thrombectomy. The rates of TICI 2b/3 recanalization were similar between the ADAPT and stentriever groups (82.9% vs 71.4%; p = 0.19). There were no differences in the rates of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage or procedural complications. The rates of good functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale Score 0–2) at 90 days were similar between the ADAPT and stentriever groups (48.9% vs 41.4%; p = 0.45), even when accounting for the subset of patients in the ADAPT group who required rescue stentriever thrombectomy.CONCLUSIONSThe present study demonstrates that ADAPT and primary stentriever thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke due to ELVO are equivalent with respect to the rates of TICI 2b/3 recanalization and 90-day mRS scores. Given the reduced procedural time and time to TICI 2b/3 recanalization with similar functional outcomes, an initial attempt at recanalization with ADAPT may be warranted prior to stentriever thrombectomy.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Massimo Gamba ◽  
Nicola Gilberti ◽  
Enrico Premi ◽  
Angelo Costa ◽  
Michele Frigerio ◽  
...  

Abstract Background and Purpose endovascular therapy (ET) is the standard of care for anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke (AIS) caused by large vessel occlusion (LVO). The role of adjunctive intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) in these patients is still unclear. The present study aims to test whether IVT plus ET (CoT, combined therapy) provides additional benefits over direct ET for anterior circulation AIS by LVO. Methods we performed a single center retrospective observational study of patients with AIS caused by anterior circulation LVO, referred to our center between January 2014 and January 2017 and treated with ET. The patients were divided in 2 groups based on the treatment they received: CoT and, if IVT contraindicated, direct ET. We compared functional recovery (modified Rankin at 3-months follow-up), recanalization rate (thrombolysis in cerebral infarction [TICI] score) and time, early follow-up infarct volume (EFIV) (for recanalized patients only) as well as safety profile, defined as symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) and 3-month mortality, between groups. Results 145 subjects were included in the study, 70 in direct ET group and 75 in CoT group. Patients who received CoT presented more frequently a functional independence at 3-months follow-up compared to patients who received direct ET (mRS score 0-1: 48.5% vs 18.6%; P<0.001. mRS score 0-2: 67.1% vs 37.3%; P<0.001), higher first-pass success rate (62.7% vs 38.6%, P<0.05), higher recanalization rate (84.3% vs 65.3%; P=0.009) and, in recanalized subjects, smaller EFIV (16.4ml vs 62.3ml; P=0.003). The safety profile was similar for the 2 groups. In multivariable regression analysis, low baseline NIHSS score (P<0.05), vessel recanalization (P=0.05) and CoT (P=0.03) were indipendent predictors of 3-month favorable outcome. Conclusions CoT appears more effective than ET alone for anterior circulation AIS with LVO, with similar safety profile.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 839-848 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mersedeh Bahr Hosseini ◽  
Jeffrey L Saver

Background Sphenopalatine ganglion stimulation (SPG-Stim) for ischemic stroke, starting 8–24 h after onset and continuing through five days in a pooled analysis of two recent, randomized, sham-controlled trials, improved outcome of acute ischemic stroke patients with confirmed cortical involvement. As a neuromodulatory therapy, SPG-Stim differs substantially from existing pharmacologic (lytic and antiplatelets) and device (endovascular thrombectomy) acute ischemic stroke treatments. Aim Focused review of SPG anatomy, physiology, and neurovascular and neurobiologic mechanisms of action mediating benefit of SPG-Stim in acute ischemic stroke. Summary of review Located posterior to the maxillary sinus, the SPG is the main source of parasympathetic innervation to the anterior circulation. Preclinical and human studies delineate four distinct mechanisms of action by which the SPG-Stim may confer benefit in acute ischemic stroke: (1) collateral vasodilation and enhanced cerebral blood flow, mediated by release of neurotransmitters with vasodilatory effects, nitric oxide, and acetylcholine, (2) stimulation frequency- and intensity-dependent stabilization of the blood–brain barrier, reducing edema (3) direct acute neuroprotection from activation of the central cholinergic system with resulting anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and anti-excitatory effects; and (4) neuroplasticity enhancement from enhanced central cholinergic and adrenergic neuromodulation of cortical networks and nitrous oxide release stimulating neurogenesis. Conclusion The benefit of SPG-Stim in acute ischemic stroke is likely conferred not only by potent collateral augmentation, but also blood–barrier stabilization, direct neuroprotection, and neuroplasticity enhancement. Further studies clarifying the relative contribution of these mechanisms and the stimulation protocols that maximize each may help optimize SPG-Stim as a therapy for acute ischemic stroke.


2017 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth H.Y. Du ◽  
Jai J.S. Shankar

Stroke is the second leading cause of mortality and the third leading cause of disability-adjusted life-years worldwide. For each minute of an ischemic stroke, an estimated 1.9 million brain cells die. The year 2015 saw the unprecedented publication of 5 multicentre, randomized, controlled trials. These studies showed that patients with acute ischemic stroke caused by large-vessel thrombus occlusion of the proximal anterior circulation had significantly reduced disability at 90 days when treated with endovascular thrombectomy and usual stroke care compared to usual stroke care alone. As a result, endovascular thrombectomy is now the new North American and European standard of care for suitable patients with acute ischemic stroke caused by large-vessel proximal anterior circulation occlusion. We review key take-home messages in this paradigm shift for radiologists, including the importance of time and workflow efficiency, what currently constitutes appropriate preimaging patient selection and imaging criteria, the use of newer generation thrombectomy devices, safety outcomes, as well as further areas still in need of elucidation.


Stroke ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashish Kulhari ◽  
Daniel Ro ◽  
Amrinder Singh ◽  
Farah Fourcand ◽  
Gurneel Kaur Dhanesar ◽  
...  

Background: Multiple recent positive endovascular trials have proven mechanical thrombectomy as standard of care for large vessel occlusion (LVO) of the Anterior Circulation (AC). Post-thrombectomy subarachnoid hemorrhage (PT-SAH) is a known complication of this procedure. The aim of this study was to compare the incidence of SAH in proximal (ICA terminus and MCA M1) versus distal (MCA M2 and beyond) LVOs with use of stentrievers. Methods: Retrospective analysis of patients who underwent anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke interventions (AISI) at a community based, university affiliated comprehensive stroke center during a 5 year period (2014-2019) was done. AISI using stentrievers were separated in 2 groups based on location of LVO (Proximal and Distal). Post procedure CT heads were reviewed for SAH in location of stent deployment. Results: 2980 patients presented with acute ischemic stroke during the pre-specified time period. Of those, 2,682 were anterior circulation strokes. Of those, 373 received AISI. Stentrievers were used in 193 patients. Proximal occlusions (ICA terminus and MCA M1) were placed into Group A (n=150). Distal occlusions (MCA M2 and beyond) were placed into Group B (n=43). Group A had 6% SAH (n=9); Group B had 16% SAH (n=7) (p value <0.05). Conclusion: This study reveals an increased incidence of PT-SAH for distal LVOs. Main limitation of the study is the small sample size. Next generation stentrievers with smaller stent size and different design may decrease incidence of PT-SAH. Larger prospective RCTs are warranted to validate these results.


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