Endovascular Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke in Patients Younger than 18 Years

Rapid and effective revascularization is very important in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Endovascular treatment is a promising modality in the management of AIS in young patients. We evaluated the clinical and imaging records in 14 patients younger than 18 years presenting within 6 hours of AIS. They received endovascular therapy (ET) either by mechanical thrombectomy, thromboaspiration, or both (Solumbra) between July 2017 and June 2021 in our institute. The National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was calculated on admission and before the discharge of all patients. The 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score on disability-free outcome was also evaluated. The mean preprocedure NIHSS score was 10.78 ± 2.11 that improved to 4.5 ± 1.88 after the procedure. Thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (TICI) grade 2b and 3 blood flow could be established in 12 (85.72%) patients. One patient had TICI 2a flow and one patient had recurrent occlusion despite repeated recanalization (TICI grade 0). The disability-free outcome, mRS score at 90 days was 0 to 1 in 12 (85.72%) patients, mRS score 2 in one (7.14%) patient, and mRS score 3 in one patient (7.14%). We did not have any major complication related to the procedure. ET provides high rates of arterial recanalization and favorable disability-free outcomes in young patients with AIS.

Hemorrhagic transformation of ischemic stroke

The article reviews the problem of hemorrhagic transformation (HT) of ischemic stroke. The frequency and relevance of this complication in clinical practice is high considering the widespread implementation of cerebral recanalization methods: intravenous thrombolytic therapy and intravascular thromboembolectomy. The etiology and pathogenesis, as well as alternative mechanisms underlying the development of HT are also discussed. The probability of HT increases in case of extensive cerebral ischemia commonly associated with cardiac embolism. The role of spontaneous and medication-induced arterial recanalization of cerebral arteries in the genesis HT is discussed. In particular, it is noted that arterial recanalization is not an essential factor for the occurrence of HT in cerebral infarction. The severity of HT is determined by the duration and degree of cerebral ischemia. There is a need for a targeted search for HT predictors. The classification of types and criteria of HT are presented. The risk factors and scales used to predict HT are studied. Risk factors for HT are combined into several groups: clinical, laboratory, genetic, neuroimaging. Their comparative analysis is carried out and practical significance is estimated.

Thrombus NET content is associated with clinical outcome in stroke and myocardial infarction

ObjectiveTo investigate whether immune cell composition and content of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in relation to clinical outcome are different between acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI), we performed histologic analysis and correlated results with clinical and procedural parameters.MethodsWe retrieved thrombi from patients with AIS (n = 71) and AMI (n = 72) during endovascular arterial recanalization and analyzed their immune cell composition and NET content by immunohistology. We then associated thrombus composition with procedural parameters and outcome in AIS and with cardiac function in patients with AMI. Furthermore, we compared AIS thrombi with AMI thrombi and differentiated Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment classifications to address potential differences in thrombus pathogenesis.ResultsAmounts of leukocytes (p = 0.133) and neutrophils (p = 0.56) were similar between AIS and AMI thrombi. Monocytes (p = 0.0052), eosinophils (p < 0.0001), B cells (p < 0.0001), and T cells (p < 0.0001) were more abundant in stroke compared with AMI thrombi. NETs were present in 100% of patients with AIS and 20.8% of patients with AMI. Their abundance in thrombi was associated with poor outcome scores in patients with AIS and with reduced ejection fraction in patients with AMI.ConclusionIn our detailed histologic analysis of arterial thrombi, thrombus composition and especially abundance of leukocyte subsets differed between patients with AIS and AMI. The presence and amount of NETs were associated with patients' outcome after AIS and AMI, supporting a critical impact of NETs on thrombus stability in both conditions.

A revolution in stroke therapy: reperfusion therapy effective even if late

Arterial recanalization procedures after ischaemic stroke, are now well-established treatments, within 5 h for systemic thrombolysis, and 6 h for the endovascular treatment. Ischaemic stroke with uncertain time of symptoms onset, account for 14–27% of the cases, the vast majority of which occur just after waking up, thus it is impossible to derive an exact timeline. Accordingly, these patients are frequently not eligible for acute treatment. The results of three recent trials, DAWN, DEFUSE 3, and WAKE-UP, provided the basis for a revolution in the selection of patients eligible for late revascularization, and revealed an increase in the rate of functional independence for these patients at 90 days (mRS 0–2). Advanced neuroimaging techniques have been shown to be of utmost importance in the definition of the cerebral tissue window. A wider application of these imaging techniques and standardization of the parameters of images acquisition would provide for a significant advancement in the management of ischaemic stroke in the emergency setting.

Abstract TP19: Thrombectomy in Medium Arteries Works for Distal Vessel Occlusions in Acute Ischemic Stroke - STRATIS

Background: Mechanical thrombectomy is established for large vessel occlusions in acute ischemic stroke, but the potential role in distal vessel occlusions of medium arteries is largely unknown. Such distal arterial segments have not been measured with respect to thrombectomy devices used during endovascular therapy. We conducted a systematic analysis of arterial size, segmental anatomy and stent retriever device performance during thrombectomy. Methods: The STRATIS angiography core lab adjudicated the exact location of the occlusion, proximal and distal device deployment, relationship to arterial bifurcations and anatomical nomenclature. Arterial diameters were measured at all of these sites. Statistical analyses examined the relationship between these variables, arterial recanalization and eTICI reperfusion. Results: Thrombectomy was performed with various device sizes, including Solitaire 4x40 in 36.3% (306/844), Solitaire 6x30 in 31.4% (265/844), Solitaire 4x20 in 26.4% (223/844), unspecified in 3.8% (32/844), Solitaire 6x20 in 1.3% (11/844) and Solitaire 4x15 in 0.8% (7/844). Arterial diameter at the occlusion site was median 2.17mm (1.40-3.59) in the distal M1, 1.67mm (0.81-2.98) in the proximal M2, 1.50mm (0.92-1.99) in the distal M2, 1.24mm (0.67-2.00) in the M3 and 1.88mm (1.49-1.94) in the P1. Considerable overlap was noted between arterial sizes at occlusion sites carrying different segmental arterial nomenclature or vessel names. During device deployment in STRATIS, median arterial diameter at the occlusion site was 2.4mm (IQR 1.9, 3.4), 2.9mm (IQR 2.2, 3.6) at the proximal stent marker and 1.4mm (IQR 1.2, 1.7) at the distal stent marker. Substantial eTICI reperfusion (2b-3) was achieved in all distal vessel occlusions (Table 1). Conclusions: Substantial reperfusion may be achieved with currently available mechanical thrombectomy devices for distal vessel occlusions in medium arteries.