Endovascular Embolization of Intracranial Infectious Aneurysms in Patients Undergoing Open Heart Surgery Using n-Butyl Cyanoacrylate.

INTRODUCTION: Mycotic aneurysms are a serious complication of infective endocarditis with increased risk of intracranial hemorrhage. Patients undergoing open heart surgery for valve repair or replacement are exposed to anticoagulants, increasing the risk of aneurysm bleeding. These patients may require endovascular or surgical aneurysm treatment prior to heart surgery, but data on this approach are scarce. METHODS: Retrospective review of consecutive patients with infectious endocarditis and mycotic aneurysms treated endovascularly with Trufill n-butyl cyanoacrylate (n-BCA) at the Cleveland Clinic between January 2013 and December 2015. RESULTS: Nine patients underwent endovascular treatment of mycotic aneurysms with n-BCA (mean age of 39 years). On imaging, 4 patients had intracerebral hemorrhage, 2 had multiple embolic infarcts, and the rest had no imaging findings. Twelve mycotic aneurysms were detected (3 patients with 2 aneurysms). Seven aneurysms were in the M4 middle cerebral artery segment, 4 in the posterior cerebral artery distribution, and 1 in the callosomarginal branch. n-BCA was diluted in ethiodized oil (1:1 to 1:2). Embolization was achieved in a single rapid injection with immediate microcatheter removal. Complete aneurysm exclusion was achieved in all cases without complications. All patients underwent open heart surgery and endovascular embolization within a short interval, 2 with both procedures on the same day. There were no new hemorrhages after aneurysm embolization. CONCLUSIONS: Endovascular embolization of infectious intracranial aneurysms with liquid embolics can be performed successfully in critically ill patients requiring immediate open heart surgery and anticoagulation. Early embolization prior to and within a short interval from open heart surgery is feasible.

Last resort: case of clot translocation in intra-arterial stroke therapy.

A patient was taken for emergent intra-arterial stroke therapy for an acute left middle cerebral artery stroke syndrome, with CT angiography showing a left internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion. Through a 6 F Neuron MAX sheath, a 5 Max ACE Penumbra aspiration catheter was advanced to the thrombus and direct suction was performed through the ACE catheter and Neuron MAX sheath. Upon pull back, the thrombus became wedged in the Neuron MAX sheath and despite several attempts to aspirate the thrombus, no clot could be obtained. The Neuron MAX sheath was withdrawn to the left common carotid artery, and gently advanced to the origin of the external carotid artery (ECA). A glide wire was advanced and the thrombus dislodged into the ECA. Another pass with the 5 Max ACE was used to remove a remaining thrombus in the left ICA terminus, resulting in Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (TICI) 3 flow. With improved devices for embolectomy, large and rigid emboli that exceed the inner diameter of large guide sheaths and balloon guide catheters can become lodged, and cannot be withdrawn through a catheter. While uncommon, strategies to overcome this are important to keep in mind during acute stroke intervention.

Higher volume endovascular stroke centers have faster times to treatment, higher reperfusion rates and higher rates of good clinical outcomes.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Technological advances have helped to improve the efficiency of treating patients with large vessel occlusion in acute ischemic stroke. Unfortunately, the sequence of events prior to reperfusion may lead to significant treatment delays. This study sought to determine if high-volume (HV) centers were efficient at delivery of endovascular treatment approaches. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of nine centers to assess a series of time points from obtaining a CT scan to the end of the endovascular procedure. Demographic, radiographic and angiographic variables were assessed by multivariate analysis to determine if HV centers were more efficient at delivery of care. RESULTS: A total of 442 consecutive patients of mean age 66 ± 14 years and median NIH Stroke Scale score of 18 were studied. HV centers were more likely to treat patients after intravenous administration of tissue plasminogen activator and those transferred from outside hospitals. After adjusting for appropriate variables, HV centers had significantly lower times from CT acquisition to groin puncture (OR 0.991, 95% CI 0.989 to 0.997, p=0.001) and total procedure times (OR 0.991, 95% CI 0.986 to 0.996, p=0.001). Additionally, patients treated at HV centers were more likely to have a good clinical outcome (OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.11 to 3.10, p<0.018) and successful reperfusion (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.16 to 2.86, p<0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Significant delays occur in treating patients with endovascular therapy in acute ischemic stroke, offering opportunities for improvements in systems of care. Ongoing prospective clinical trials can help to assess if HV centers are achieving better clinical outcomes and higher reperfusion rates.

Advanced modality imaging evaluation in acute ischemic stroke may lead to delayed endovascular reperfusion therapy without improvement in clinical outcomes.

PURPOSE: Advanced neuroimaging techniques may improve patient selection for endovascular stroke treatment but may also delay time to reperfusion. We studied the effect of advanced modality imaging with CT perfusion (CTP) or MRI compared with non-contrast CT (NCT) in a multicenter cohort. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective study of 10 stroke centers who select patients for endovascular treatment using institutional protocols. Approval was obtained from each institution's review board as only de-identified information was used. We collected demographic and radiographic data, selected time intervals, and outcome data. ANOVA was used to compare the groups (NCT vs CTP vs MRI). Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to determine factors associated with a good clinical outcome. RESULTS: 556 patients were analyzed. Mean age was 66 ± 15 years and median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was 18 (IQR 14-22). NCT was used in 286 (51%) patients, CTP in 190 (34%) patients, and MRI in 80 (14%) patients. NCT patients had significantly lower median times to groin puncture (61 min, IQR (40-117)) compared with CTP (114 min, IQR (81-152)) or MRI (124 min, IQR (87-165)). There were no differences in clinical outcomes, hemorrhage rates, or final infarct volumes among the groups. CONCLUSIONS: The current retrospective study shows that multimodal imaging may be associated with delays in treatment without reducing hemorrhage rates or improving clinical outcomes. This exploratory analysis suggests that prospective randomised studies are warranted to support the hypothesis that advanced modality imaging is superior to NCT in improving clinical outcomes.

Head, neck, and brain tumor embolization guidelines.

BACKGROUND: Management of vascular tumors of the head, neck, and brain is often complex and requires a multidisciplinary approach. Peri-operative embolization of vascular tumors may help to reduce intra-operative bleeding and operative times and have thus become an integral part of the management of these tumors. Advances in catheter and non-catheter based techniques in conjunction with the growing field of neurointerventional surgery is likely to expand the number of peri-operative embolizations performed. The goal of this article is to provide consensus reporting standards and guidelines for embolization treatment of vascular head, neck, and brain tumors. SUMMARY: This article was produced by a writing group comprised of members of the Society of Neurointerventional Surgery. A computerized literature search using the National Library of Medicine database (Pubmed) was conducted for relevant articles published between 1 January 1990 and 31 December 2010. The article summarizes the effectiveness and safety of peri-operative vascular tumor embolization. In addition, this document provides consensus definitions and reporting standards as well as guidelines not intended to represent the standard of care, but rather to provide uniformity in subsequent trials and studies involving embolization of vascular head and neck as well as brain tumors. CONCLUSIONS: Peri-operative embolization of vascular head, neck, and brain tumors is an effective and safe adjuvant to surgical resection. Major complications reported in the literature are rare when these procedures are performed by operators with appropriate training and knowledge of the relevant vascular and surgical anatomy. These standards may help to standardize reporting and publication in future studies.

Headache following intracranial neuroendovascular procedures.

AIMS: Predicting who will develop post-procedure headache (PPH) following intracranial endovascular procedures (IEPs) would be clinically useful and potentially could assist in reducing the excessive diagnostic testing so often obtained in these patients. Although limited safety data exist, the use of triptans or dihydroergotamine (DHE) often raise concern when used with pre/post-coiled aneurysms. We sought to determine risk factors for PPH following IEP, to evaluate the utility of diagnostic testing in patients with post-coil acute headache (HA), and to record whether triptans and DHE have been used safely in this clinical setting. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of adult patients undergoing IEPs. Bivariate analyses were conducted to compare patients who did and did not develop PPH. RESULTS: We reviewed records pertaining to 372 patients, of whom 263 underwent intracranial coil embolizations, 21 acrylic glue embolizations, and 88 stent placements. PPH occurred in 72% of coil patients, 33% of glue patients, and 14% of stent patients. Significant risk factors for post-coil HA were female gender, any pre-coil HA history, smoking, and anxiety/depression. A pre-stent history of HA exceeding 1 year's duration, and smoking were risk factors for post-stent HA. A pre-glue history of HA exceeding 1 year was the only risk factor for post-glue HA. In the small subgroup available for study, treatment with triptans or DHE was not associated with adverse events in pre/post-coiled aneurysms. Diagnostic testing was low yield. CONCLUSIONS: Occurrence of PPH was common after IEPs and especially so with coiling and in women, smokers, and those with anxiety/depression, and was often of longer duration than allowed by current International Classification of Headache Disorders-II criteria. The yield of diagnostic testing was low, and in a small subgroup treatment with triptans or DHE did not cause adverse events in pre/post-coiled aneurysms. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Combined surgical and endovascular approach to a complex dural arteriovenous fistula involving the superior sagittal sinus and torcula.

A complex dural arteriovenous fistula (dAVF) may require complex treatment strategies to achieve successful obliteration. We describe a combined open surgical and endovascular approach to a dAVF involving the superior sagittal sinus (SS) and torcula. A 68-year-old male with Factor V Leiden mutation presented with altered mental status from venous hypertension secondary to a complex, high-flow Borden III dAVF with internal carotid and bilateral external carotid artery feeders draining into the SS and torcula. Because the venous channel to the recipient SS at the point of convergence of the AV shunting was not accessible transfemorally due to venous stenosis, a surgical strategy using a midline burrhole for direct catheterization of the SS was devised. A balloon was inflated in the sinus during arterial embolization. This technique was effective in achieving embolization of multiple arterial feeders via a single vessel injection. Covered Atrium iCasts were introduced in a telescoping fashion after angioplasty of the posterior SS-torcular junction in an attempt to functionally occlude further AV shunting. Postembolization angiography revealed greatly diminished AV shunting with improved intracranial transit time and retrograde cortical venous drainage. The patient was maintained on anticoagulation and made a complete recovery following the intervention; however, he subsequently deteriorated acutely, and died on postprocedure day 4. This case illustrates the difficulties associated with treating a complex AVF, describes a temporizing solution, and reports a potential complication from placing a covered stent in the SS.

Centenarian middle cerebral artery occlusion treated with intra-arterial mechanical embolectomy.

Advanced age, arbitrarily defined as over 80 years, has been an exclusion criterion in many clinical trials for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke. The oldest person, to our knowledge, treated for acute ischemic stroke with intra-arterial therapy is presented and, importantly, this patient was excluded from intravenous tissue plasminogen activator due to an advanced age of 100 years and arrival in our emergency department within the 3-4.5 h time window. Utilizing an MRI based protocol to assess the risk-benefit ratio, treatment by intra-arterial mechanical embolectomy was commenced resulting in middle cerebral artery recanalization at 6 h 30 min. The patient improved, and ultimately returned to a baseline modified Rankin Scale score of 3. With careful selection, elderly patients may benefit from acute stroke therapies and may be considered on a case by case basis.

Combined endovascular and surgical resection of a giant lumbosacral arteriovenous malformation in a patient with Cobb syndrome.

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: Cobb syndrome is a rare condition that includes a cutaneous nevus with an associated spinal vascular lesion at the same dermatome. We present a challenging case of a progressively symptomatic massive lumbosacral arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in a patient with Cobb's syndrome requiring a multimodality approach including staged preoperative transarterial and transvenous endovascular embolization followed by surgical excision and wound reconstruction. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: The patient presented with a massive lumbosacral AVM with symptoms of congestive heart failure. Angiography demonstrated arterial feeders predominantly from internal iliac, median sacral and lumbar segmental arteries. INTERVENTION: The patient underwent staged transarterial and transvenous endovascular embolization resulting in 90% reduction in the AVM size, followed by surgical resection of the lesion. The patient made an excellent recovery with improvement in his symptoms of congestive heart failure. CONCLUSION: The treatment algorithm for massive AVMs must be individualized. A combination of staged embolization and subsequent surgery may be required to obtain a good result. Through this carefully planned multidisciplinary approach a previously incurable lesion in this patient with Cobb syndrome was able to be treated successfully.

"Double-barrel" stent reconstruction of a symptomatic fusiform basilar artery aneurysm: case report.

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: Giant fusiform aneurysms of the basilar artery are associated with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. Treatment of these lesions can be difficult, especially when there are poor anatomic collaterals such as posterior communicating arteries. These lesions often have no acceptable treatment. The authors present a case of a patient with a symptomatic, fusiform basilar artery aneurysm successfully treated with a side-by-side (double-barrel), telescoping stent construct. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 56-year-old man presented with chief concerns of dysarthria and left-sided hemiparesis. MRI and conventional catheter-based angiography revealed a dolichoectatic basilar artery with 3 large fusiform aneurysms throughout its length. Flow through the patient's aneurysm was successfully reduced with a side-by-side stent construct and coiling of the proximal aneurysm dilation. The patient experienced stabilization of his ischemic events and neurologic recovery. A total of 6 Neurform-2 4.5 × 30-mm stents were navigated and positioned from the proximal posterior cerebral arteries to the distal vertebral arteries in a side-by-side (double-barrel), telescoping manner. These were deployed simultaneously by 2 operators to oppose the stent struts as well as the arterial wall. Next, the proximal aneurysmal dilation was coiled to near occlusion. Successful flow redirection and aneurysm thrombosis was observed. CONCLUSION: A novel, endovascular stenting technique for successfully treating symptomatic, giant basilar artery aneurysms is presented. This patient at 4 months was living independently with no further neurologic events or decline.

Intracranial atherosclerosis as a risk factor for ischemic stroke during open heart surgery.

BACKGROUND: Embolic stroke is a feared complication after open heart surgery. Many patients undergo testing of the carotid arteries before surgery, but intracranial atherosclerosis is not commonly assessed as a mechanism. METHODS: We reviewed a prospectively maintained database of all open heart surgeries at our institution from 2005 to 2007 for patients who developed a periprocedural ischemic stroke. These patients were assessed for the mechanism of stroke through radiographic imaging of the intracranial circulation to determine the frequency of intracranial atherosclerosis as a mechanism for perioperative stroke. RESULTS: A total of 10,367 patients underwent open heart surgery from 2005 to 2007 and 180 (1.74%) patients were noted to have an ischemic stroke. Of the 180 patients, 98 (55%) underwent intracranial imaging and 29 (30%) were noted to have narrowing of an intracranial vessel. Seventeen (17.4%) patients were found to have infarct ipsilateral to the stenosis, but 8 (8.1%) of these patients were also noted to have infarcts in other vascular territories. Thus, 9 (9.1%) patients were thought to have a stroke solely related to the intracranial stenosis. CONCLUSIONS: Intracranial atherosclerosis may be an underreported mechanism for perioperative stroke after open heart surgery. Further study is required to better understand the prevalence of the disease in this population and subsequent risk of stroke.

Initial experience with angioplasty of symptomatic M2 MCA atheromatous lesions.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Symptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis has been associated with a high rate of recurrent stroke. The safety of treatment of more distal atheromatous lesions with angioplasty has not been systematically reported. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed our institutional database for all patients treated with intracranial angioplasty and stenting from January 2008 to July 2009. A total of 108 patients were treated and five patients were treated with angioplasty for a symptomatic M2 middle cerebral artery stenosis with fluctuating neurological examinations. We report our experience with these patients. RESULTS: All five patients underwent technically successful treatment with a reduction of the stenosis to <50%. There were no periprocedural complications and all patients had cessation of their clinical fluctuations. Two patients were found to have symptomatic restenosis with one patient suffering a disabling stroke at 5 months and the second patient a transient ischemic attack at 4 months who was subsequently successfully re-treated with angioplasty and stent placement. CONCLUSIONS: Angioplasty of M2 MCA lesions is technically feasible in our cohort of neurologically unstable patients, but the durability of this treatment will require more extensive study.