Abstract 116: Predicting Symptomatic Intracranial Hemorrhage After Mechanical Thrombectomy: The TAG Score
Background: There is limited data on predictors of sICH in patients who underwent mechanical thrombectomy. In this study, we aim to determine those predictors with external validation. Methods: We evaluated mechanical thrombectomy in a derivation cohort of patients at a comprehensive stroke center over a 30-month period. sICH was defined using the European Cooperative Acute Stroke Study III. We compared clinical and radiographic characteristics between patients with and without sICH to identify independent predictors of sICH with p<0.1. We then derived an sICH prediction score and validated it using the Blood Pressure After Endovascular Treatment (BEST) multicenter prospective registry. Results: We identified 578 patients with acute ischemic stroke who received thrombectomy, 19 had sICH (3.3%). Predictive factors of sICH were: Thrombolysis in cerebral ischemia score, Alberta stroke program early computed tomography score (ASPECTS), and Glucose level, and using these predictors, we derived the weighted TAG score which was associated with sICH in the derivation (OR per unit increase 1.98, 95% CI 1.48-2.66, AUC=0.79) and validation (OR per unit increase 1.48, 95% CI 1.22-1.79, AUC=0.69) cohorts. Conclusion: High TAG scores are associated with sICH in patients receiving mechanical thrombectomy. Larger studies are needed to validate this scoring system and test strategies to reduce sICH risk and make thrombectomy safer in patients with elevated TAG scores.