scholarly journals Tenecteplase Thrombolysis in Posterior Circulation Stroke

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fana Alemseged ◽  
Bruce C. V. Campbell

One in five ischaemic strokes affects the posterior circulation. Basilar artery occlusion is a type of posterior circulation stroke associated with a high risk of disability and mortality. Despite its proven efficacy in ischaemic stroke more generally, alteplase only achieves rapid reperfusion in ~4% of basilar artery occlusion patients. Tenecteplase is a genetically modified variant of alteplase with greater fibrin specificity and longer half-life than alteplase, which can be administered by intravenous bolus. The single-bolus administration of tenecteplase vs. an hour-long alteplase infusion is a major practical advantage, particularly in “drip and ship” patients with basilar artery occlusion who are being transported between hospitals. Other practical advantages include its reduced cost compared to alteplase. The EXTEND-IA TNK trial demonstrated that tenecteplase led to higher reperfusion rates prior to endovascular therapy (22 vs. 10%, non-inferiority p = 0.002, superiority p = 0.03) and improved functional outcomes (ordinal analysis of the modified Rankin Scale, common odds ratio 1.7, 95% CI 1.0–2.8, p = 0.04) compared with alteplase in large-vessel occlusion ischaemic strokes. We recently demonstrated in observational data that tenecteplase was associated with increased reperfusion rates compared to alteplase prior to endovascular therapy in basilar artery occlusion [26% (n = 5/19) of patients thrombolysed with TNK vs. 7% (n = 6/91) thrombolysed with alteplase (RR 4.0 95% CI 1.3–12; p = 0.02)]. Although randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm these results, tenecteplase can be considered as an alternative to alteplase in patients with basilar artery occlusion, particularly in “drip and ship” patients.

Stroke ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fana Alemseged ◽  
Volker Puetz ◽  
Gregoire Boulouis ◽  
Alessandro Rocco ◽  
Timothy Kleinig ◽  
...  

Background: Tenecteplase (TNK) is a genetically modified variant of alteplase with greater fibrin specificity and longer half-life than alteplase. The recent Tenecteplase versus Alteplase before Endovascular Therapy for Ischemic Stroke (EXTEND-IA TNK) trial demonstrated that increased reperfusion with TNK compared to alteplase prior to endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) in large vessel occlusion ischaemic strokes. However, only 6 patients with basilar artery occlusion (BAO) were included. We aimed to investigate the efficacy of TNK versus alteplase before EVT in patients with basilar artery occlusion (BAO). Methods: Clinical and procedural data of consecutive BAO diagnosed on CT Angiography or MR Angiography from the multisite international Basilar Artery Treatment and MANagement (BATMAN) collaboration were retrospectively analysed. The primary outcome was reperfusion of greater than 50% of the involved ischemic territory or absence of retrievable thrombus at the time of the initial angiographic assessment. Results: We included 119 BAO patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis prior to EVT; mean age 68 (SD 14), median NIHSS 16 (IQR 7-32). Eleven patients were treated with TNK (0.25mg/kg or 0.4mg/kg) and 108 with alteplase (0.9mg/kg). Overall, 113 patients had catheter angiography or early repeat imaging after thrombolysis. Reperfusion of greater than 50% of the ischemic territory or absence of retrievable thrombus occurred in 4/11 (36%) of patients treated with TNK vs 8/102 (8%) treated with alteplase (p=0.02). Onset-to-needle time did not differ between the two groups (p=0.4). Needle-to-groin-puncture time was 61 (IQR 33-100) mins in patients reperfused with TNK vs 111 (IQR 86-198) mins in patients reperfused with alteplase (p=0.048). Overall, the rate of symptomatic haemorrhage was 3/119 (2.5%). No differences were found in the rate of symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage (p=0.3) between the two thrombolytic agents. Conclusions: Despite shorter needle-to-groin-puncture times, tenecteplase was associated with an increased rate of reperfusion in comparison with alteplase before EVT in BAO. Randomized controlled trials to compare tenecteplase with alteplase in BAO patients before endovascular thrombectomy are warranted.


Author(s):  
Michael R. Pichler ◽  
Jennifer E. Fugate

Basilar artery occlusion (BAO), a type of posterior circulation stroke, refers to occlusion of the basilar artery at any point along its course. Patients with BAO can present in many ways, depending on the location of the occlusion and the collateral blood supply. Timely recognition of BAO is essential given the potential for effective therapeutic interventions shown to improve outcome.


2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (228) ◽  
Author(s):  
Subash Phuyal ◽  
Kapil Dawadi ◽  
Raju Paudel ◽  
Ritesh Lamsal ◽  
Pooja Agrawal

Posterior circulation strokes are potentially devastating events that carry a significant risk of morbidity and mortality. Acute basilar artery occlusion stroke is a rare posterior circulation stroke that needs emergent management. We report the case of a 67-year-old woman who developed an acute basilar artery occlusion. We achieved complete recanalization of the occluded basilar artery and its branches with endovascular mechanical thrombectomy. It is possible to achieve excellent results with mechanical thrombectomy in acute basilar artery occlusion if timely diagnosis and reperfusion can be done. We are not aware of any previous publication from Nepal describing this technique in acute basilar artery occlusion.


2021 ◽  
pp. jnnp-2020-325328
Author(s):  
Sergio Nappini ◽  
Francesco Arba ◽  
Giovanni Pracucci ◽  
Valentina Saia ◽  
Danilo Caimano ◽  
...  

BackgroundWe evaluated safety and efficacy of intravenous recombinant tissue Plasminogen Activator plus endovascular (bridging) therapy compared with direct endovascular therapy in patients with ischaemic stroke due to basilar artery occlusion (BAO).MethodsFrom a national prospective registry of endovascular therapy in acute ischaemic stroke, we selected patients with BAO. We compared bridging and direct endovascular therapy evaluating vessel recanalisation, haemorrhagic transformation at 24–36 hours; procedural complications; and functional outcome at 3 months according to the modified Rankin Scale. We ran logistic and ordinal regression models adjusting for age, sex, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), onset-to-groin-puncture time.ResultsWe included 464 patients, mean(±SD) age 67.7 (±13.3) years, 279 (63%) males, median (IQR) NIHSS=18 (10–30); 166 (35%) received bridging and 298 (65%) direct endovascular therapy. Recanalisation rates and symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage were similar in both groups (83% and 3%, respectively), whereas distal embolisation was more frequent in patients treated with direct endovascular therapy (9% vs 3%; p=0.009). In the whole population, there was no difference between bridging and direct endovascular therapy regarding functional outcome at 3 months (OR=0.79; 95% CI=0.55 to 1.13). However, in patients with onset-to-groin-puncture time ≤6 hours, bridging therapy was associated with lower mortality (OR=0.53; 95% CI=0.30 to 0.97) and a shift towards better functional outcome in ordinal analysis (OR=0.65; 95% CI=0.42 to 0.98).ConclusionsIn ischaemic stroke due to BAO, when endovascular therapy is initiated within 6 hours from symptoms onset, bridging therapy resulted in lower mortality and better functional outcome compared with direct endovascular therapy.


Stroke ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 42 (12) ◽  
pp. 3454-3459 ◽  
Author(s):  
Volker Puetz ◽  
Andrei Khomenko ◽  
Michael D. Hill ◽  
Imanuel Dzialowski ◽  
Patrik Michel ◽  
...  

Background and Purpose— The posterior circulation Acute Stroke Prognosis Early CT Score (pc-ASPECTS) quantifies the extent of early ischemic changes in the posterior circulation with a 10-point grading system. We hypothesized that pc-ASPECTS applied to CT angiography source images predicts functional outcome of patients in the Basilar Artery International Cooperation Study (BASICS). Methods— BASICS was a prospective, observational registry of consecutive patients with acute symptomatic basilar artery occlusion. Functional outcome was assessed at 1 month. We applied pc-ASPECTS to CT angiography source images of patients with CT angiography for confirmation of basilar artery occlusion. We calculated unadjusted and adjusted risk ratios (RRs) of pc-ASPECTS dichotomized at ≥8 versus <8. Primary outcome measure was favorable outcome (modified Rankin Scale scores 0–3). Secondary outcome measures were mortality and functional independence (modified Rankin Scale scores 0–2). Results— Of 158 patients included, 78 patients had a CT angiography source images pc-ASPECTS ≥8. Patients with a pc-ASPECTS ≥8 more often had a favorable outcome than patients with a pc-ASPECTS <8 (crude RR, 1.7; 95% CI, 0.98–3.0). After adjustment for age, baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, and thrombolysis, pc-ASPECTS ≥8 was not related to favorable outcome (RR, 1.3; 95% CI, 0.8–2.2), but it was related to reduced mortality (RR, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.5–0.98) and functional independence (RR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.1–3.8). In post hoc analysis, pc-ASPECTS dichotomized at ≥6 versus <6 predicted a favorable outcome (adjusted RR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.2–7.5). Conclusions— pc-ASPECTS on CT angiography source images independently predicted death and functional independence at 1 month in the CT angiography subgroup of patients in the BASICS registry.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xu Tong ◽  
Jiayi An ◽  
Raynald Liu ◽  
Xuan Sun ◽  
Feng Gao ◽  
...  

Abstract Background To design a simplified NIH Stroke Scale (sNIHSS) that requires minimal training but can reflect acute basilar artery occlusion (BAO) severity and is predictive for the 90-day outcome after endovascular therapy (EVT). Methods We analyzed the prospectively gathered data of acute BAO treated with EVT in a tertiary stroke center during a 6-year period. The sNIHSS (range: 0 to 20 points) consisted of 4 NIHSS items: level of consciousness - (1) questions and (2) commands; motor function - (3) arms and (4) legs. The 90-day outcomes included functional independence (mRS ≤ 2), favorable outcome (mRS ≤ 3) and death. Results Of 173 patients, 62, 83 and 36 achieved functional independence, favorable outcome and death, respectively. Interobserver reliability of sNIHSS was high (ICC = 0.95), and compared with NIHSS, sNIHSS had a significant reduction of assessment time (median: 1.5 min vs. 5 min, P < 0.01). A multivariable logistic model demonstrated that sNIHSS was independently associated with functional independence (OR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.77-0.87), favorable outcome (OR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.81-0.92) and death (OR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.12-1.37). Additionally, the sNIHSS predicted 90-day outcomes almost as same discrimination as NIHSS by using DeLong test. The optimal cutoff value of sNIHSS was determined to be 12 points for predicting any outcome. Conclusions The sNIHSS reflects acute BAO severity well and predicts 90-day outcomes with reasonable accuracy. Nevertheless, the sNIHSS needs further validation before it can be applied as a predictive tool for acute BAO outcome.


Author(s):  
Brandon Nguyen ◽  
Ichiro Yuki ◽  
Dana Stradling ◽  
Jordan C Xu ◽  
Kiarash Golshani ◽  
...  

Introduction : Performing mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in patients with basilar artery occlusion (BAO) is currently not evidence‐based. In the real‐world practice, it is also often encountered that the delayed initiation of the MT happens for this particular patient groups due to lack of cortical signs and other medical confounding factors. Methods : We retrospectively analyzed the angiographical and clinical outcomes of consecutive BAO patient who underwent MT in single institution. Onset to treatment (OTT), Door to Puncture (DTP) time were compared with those in anterior circulation large vessel occlusion (ACLVO) group who underwent MT in the same time period. For those showed significantly longer DTP time, the factors associated with the delayed initiation of the MT were analyzed. Results : A total of 271 patients underwent mechanical thrombectomy at UCI Medical Center between Jan 2016 and June 2021. Of these, 32 patients diagnosed as BAO by CTA and underwent MT were included in the study. Successful recanalization was achieved in 28 cases (87.5%), and symptomatic ICH occurred in 3 cases (9.4%). Nine patients (28.1%) showed good clinical outcomes (mRS 0–3) at 3 months. The median Onset to Puncture Time (OTT) was 340 min. The median DTP time (145 min) was significantly longer as compared to the ACLVO patients (99 min) (p value = 0.04). Of the 6 patients who showed significant delay in the initiation of intervention (DTP>300 min), 5 patients (83.3%) did not have the initial “stroke‐code activation” at the time of ED arrival. The cause of the delay was due to lack of cortical sign (3), bilateral spontaneous sustained clonus, which misinterpreted as seizure (1), AMS with non‐focal neurological signs interpreted as encephalopathy (2). Conclusions : DTP of the patients who underwent MT for BAO was significantly longer than that in ACLAO. Lack of cortical sings which are markers of ACLVO were associated with delayed activation of stroke code. Establishment of BAO screening in the ED assessment and prompt activation of Stroke code may contribute to the improvement of MT treatment for the BAO patients.


2021 ◽  
pp. neurintsurg-2020-016952
Author(s):  
Ashutosh P Jadhav ◽  
Shashvat M Desai ◽  
Ronald F Budzik ◽  
Rishi Gupta ◽  
Blaise Baxter ◽  
...  

BackgroundFirst pass effect (FPE), defined as near-total/total reperfusion of the territory (modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (mTICI) 2c/3) of the occluded artery after a single thrombectomy attempt (single pass), has been associated with superior safety and efficacy outcomes than in patients not experiencing FPE.ObjectiveTo characterize the clinical features, incidence, and predictors of FPE in the anterior and posterior circulation among patients enrolled in the Trevo Registry.MethodsData were analyzed from the Trevo Retriever Registry. Univariate and multivariable analyses were used to assess the relationship of patient (demographics, clinical, occlusion location, collateral grade, Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS)) and device/technique characteristics with FPE (mTICI 2c/3 after single pass).ResultsFPE was achieved in 27.8% (378/1358) of patients undergoing anterior large vessel occlusion (LVO) thrombectomy. Multivariable regression analysis identified American Society of Interventional and Therapeutic Neuroradiology (ASITN) levels 2–4, higher ASPECTS, and presence of atrial fibrillation as independent predictors of FPE in anterior LVO thrombectomy. Rates of modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score 0–2 at 90 days were higher (63.9% vs 53.5%, p<0.0006), and 90-day mortality (11.4% vs 12.8%, p=0.49) was comparable in the FPE group and non-FPE group. Rate of FPE was 23.8% (19/80) among basilar artery occlusion strokes, and outcomes were similar between FPE and non-FPE groups (mRS score 0–2, 47.4% vs 52.5%, p=0.70; mortality 26.3% vs 18.0%, p=0.43). Notably, there were no difference in outcomes in FPE versus non-FPE mTICI 2c/3 patients.ConclusionTwenty-eight percent of patients undergoing anterior LVO thrombectomy and 24% of patients undergoing basilar artery occlusion thrombectomy experience FPE. Independent predictors of FPE in anterior circulation LVO thrombectomy include higher ASITN levels, higher ASPECTS, and the presence of atrial fibrillation.


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