Preliminary results of intracranial aneurysm treatment with derivo2heal embolization device.

INTRODUCTION: The Derivo 2 Heal Embolization Device (D2HED) is a novel flow diverter (FD) providing a fibrin-/heparin-based surface coating aiming at lower thrombogenicity. We evaluate periprocedural aspects and preliminary aneurysm occlusion efficacy for intracranial aneurysm treatment. METHODS: Thirty-four D2HEDs deployments (34 aneurysms, 32 patients) between 04/2021 and 10/2023 were analyzed. All patients were under dual antiplatelet therapy (dAPT). Periprocedural details, adverse events, and follow-up (FU) imaging were reviewed by consultant-level neuroradiologists. Complication rates and aneurysm occlusion efficacy are compared with performance data of other FDs based on literature research. RESULTS: Each intervention succeeded in the deployment of one D2HED. Significant and/or increased intraaneurysmal contrast stagnation immediately after D2HED deployment was seen in 73.5% of cases according to O'Kelly-Marotta (OKM) grading scale. Clinically relevant early adverse events occurred in three patients: Among them two cases with fusiform aneurysms in the posterior circulation (ischemic events, early in-stent-thrombosis) and one patient (ischemic event) out of the majority of 31 treated internal carotid artery aneurysms (3,2%). Regarding mid-term FU (> 165 days), one aneurysm did not show progressive occlusion presumably caused by a prominent A1 segment arising from the terminal ICA aneurysm itself. Apart from that, mid-term complete / partial occlusion rates of 80% / 20% could be demonstrated. CONCLUSION: Our case series - although suffering from restricted sample size - suggests a potential effectiveness of D2HED in managing intracranial aneurysms. Further studies with larger samples are warranted to quantify long-term occlusion efficacy and the impact of antithrombogenic surface coating on the necessary (d)APT.

[Stroke alarm-Arterial ischemic stroke as one of the most time-critical emergencies in children and adolescents]. / Notfall-Neuropädiatrie ­ Der arteriell ischämische Schlaganfall als einer der zeitkritischsten Notfälle bei Kindern und Jugendlichen.

Arterial ischemic stroke in childhood and adolescence is one of the most time-critical emergencies in pediatrics. Nevertheless, it is often diagnosed with a considerable time delay which may be associated with low awareness, the sometimes nonspecific clinical presentation with a wide variety of differential diagnoses, and less established 'acute care structures'. The revascularisation strategies in adult stroke care are also potential and promising treatment options for children, even if available evidence is still limited. In the post-acute phase, the etiological work-up is complex due to the multitude of risk factors to be considered. But it is essential to identify each child's individual risk profile as it determines secondary prevention, risk of recurrence and outcome. Long-term care in a multiprofessional, interdisciplinary team must take into account the bio-psycho-social aspects to integrate the child into its social and educational, and later professional environment.

Mortality after mechanical thrombectomy in anterior circulation stroke may be higher at nighttime and on weekends.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to compare clinical outcome and procedural differences of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) during on-call with regular operating hours. We particularly focused on dosimetric data which may serve as potential surrogates for patient outcome. METHODS: A total of 246 consecutive patients who underwent MT in acute anterior circulation stroke between November 2017 and March 2020 were retrospectively included. Patients treated (1) during standard operational hours (n = 102), (2) daytime on-call duty (n = 38) and (3) nighttime on-call duty (n = 106) were compared with respect to their pre-interventional status, procedural specifics, including dosimetrics (dose area product (DAP), fluoroscopy time and procedural time), and outcome. RESULTS: The collectives treated outside the regular operational hours showed an increased in-hospital mortality (standard operational hours 7% (7/102), daytime on-call duty 16% (6/38), nighttime on-call duty 20% (21/106), p = 0.02). Neither the dosimetric parameters nor baseline characteristics other procedural specifics and outcome parameters differed significantly between groups (p > 0.05 each). In most cases (> 90%), a successful reperfusion was achieved (TICI ≥ 2b). CONCLUSIONS: We found an increased in-hospital mortality in patients admitted at night and during weekends which was not explained by technical aspects of MT. KEY POINTS: • There is an increased mortality of stroke patients admitted at night and on weekends. • This is not explained by technical aspects of mechanical thrombectomy. • There were no statistical differences in the comparison of parameters linked to the radiation exposure, such as DAP, fluoroscopy time and procedure time.

Addressing a real-life problem: treatment with intravenous thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy in acute stroke patients with an extended time window beyond 4.5 h based on computed tomography perfusion imaging.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Acute ischemic stroke treatment with intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) is restricted to a time window of 4.5 h after known or presumed onset. Recently, magnetic resonance imaging-guided treatment decision-making in wake-up stroke (WUS) was shown to be effective. The aim of this study was to determine the safety and outcome of IVT in patients with a time window beyond 4.5 h selected by computed tomography perfusion (CTP) imaging. METHODS: We analyzed all consecutive patients last seen well beyond 4.5 h after stroke onset treated with IVT based on CTP between January 2015 and October 2018. CTP was visually assessed to estimate the mismatch between cerebral blood flow and cerebral blood volume maps. Early infarct signs were documented according to Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS). Safety data were obtained for mortality and symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH). Follow-up was assessed with the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). RESULTS: A total of 70 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria (mean age ± SD 77.6 ± 11.5 years, 50.0% female). Median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score on admission was 8.0 [interquartile range (IQR), 4-14]. The most frequent reasons for an extended time window were WUS (60.0%) and delayed hospital admission (27.1%). Median time from last seen well to IVT was 11.4 h. Median ASPECTS was 10 (IQR, 9-10) and CTP mismatch 90% (IQR, 80%-100%). A total of 24 patients (34.3%) underwent additional mechanical thrombectomy. sICH occurred in four patients (5.7%). At follow-up, 49.3% had an mRS score of 0-2 and 22.4% had an mRS score of 0-1. CONCLUSIONS: In patients presenting in an extended time window beyond 4.5 h, IVT treatment with decision-making based on CTP might be a safe procedure. Further evaluation in clinical trials is needed.

MRI for the detection of calcific features of vertebral haemangioma.

AIM: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of susceptibility-weighted-magnetic-resonance imaging (SW-MRI) for the detection of vertebral haemangiomas (VHs) compared to T1/T2-weighted MRI sequences, radiographs, and computed tomography (CT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was approved by the local ethics review board. An SW-MRI sequence was added to the clinical spine imaging protocol. The image-based diagnosis of 56 VHs in 46 patients was established using T1/T2 MRI in combination with radiography/CT as the reference standard. VHs were assessed based on T1/T2-weighted MRI images alone and in combination with SW-MRI, while radiographs/CT images were excluded from the analysis. RESULTS: Fifty-one of 56 VHs could be identified on T1/T2 MRI images alone, if radiographs/CT images were excluded from analysis. In five cases (9.1%), additional radiographs/CT images were required for the imaging-based diagnosis. If T1/T2 and SW-MRI images were used in combination, all VHs could be diagnosed, without the need for radiography/CT. Size measurements revealed a close correlation between CT and SW-MRI (R2=0.94; p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that SW-MRI enables reliable detection of the typical calcified features of VHs. This is of importance for routine MRI of the spine, as the use of additional CT/radiography can be minimized.

Identifying Neuroimaging Markers of Motor Disability in Acute Stroke by Machine Learning Techniques.

Conventional mass-univariate analyses have been previously used to test for group differences in neural signals. However, machine learning algorithms represent a multivariate decoding approach that may help to identify neuroimaging patterns associated with functional impairment in "individual" patients. We investigated whether fMRI allows classification of individual motor impairment after stroke using support vector machines (SVMs). Forty acute stroke patients and 20 control subjects underwent resting-state fMRI. Half of the patients showed significant impairment in hand motor function. Resting-state connectivity was computed by means of whole-brain correlations of seed time-courses in ipsilesional primary motor cortex (M1). Lesion location was identified using diffusion-weighted images. These features were used for linear SVM classification of unseen patients with respect to motor impairment. SVM results were compared with conventional mass-univariate analyses. Resting-state connectivity classified patients with hand motor deficits compared with controls and nonimpaired patients with 82.6-87.6% accuracy. Classification was driven by reduced interhemispheric M1 connectivity and enhanced connectivity between ipsilesional M1 and premotor areas. In contrast, lesion location provided only 50% sensitivity to classify impaired patients. Hence, resting-state fMRI reflects behavioral deficits more accurately than structural MRI. In conclusion, multivariate fMRI analyses offer the potential to serve as markers for endophenotypes of functional impairment.

Autoinfection as a cause of postpartum subdural empyema due to Mycoplasma hominis.

Mycoplasma hominis is a commensal of the genitourinary tract, which is infrequently associated with urogenital infections. Extra-urogenital infections due to M. hominis are rare. Here, we report an unusual case of M. hominis subdural empyema in a woman occurring shortly after delivery. The patient presented with symptoms suggestive of bacterial meningitis. Spinal imaging revealed a subdural empyema that required neurosurgical intervention. Cultures from intraoperatively obtained biopsies identified M. hominis as the causative pathogen. The patient was treated with oral moxifloxacin for 4 weeks resulting in the resolution of the spinal lesion. The subdural empyema was presumably caused by a contaminated epidural blood patch performed with the patient's own blood during an episode of transient M. hominis bacteremia after delivery. The blood patch was indicated for the treatment of cerebrospinal fluid leakage, which had occurred after epidural anesthesia. Our findings highlight the significance of transient M. hominis bacteremia after delivery and implicate that M. hominis should be considered as a causative agent of extra-genitourinary tract infections particularly during the postpartum period or after genitourinary manipulation.

Mechanical thrombectomy in tandem occlusion: procedural considerations and clinical results.

INTRODUCTION: Acute tandem occlusions of the cervical and distal internal carotid artery (ICA) or middle cerebral artery (MCA) are associated with major stroke with intravenous (i.v.) thrombolysis alone in approximately 90 % of patients. The data on endovascular management of tandem occlusions is still limited. The purpose of this study was to review technical aspects and the current state of the literature on acute ICA stenting in combination with stent retriever-based intracranial thrombectomy. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the data of 37 consecutive patients with tandem occlusions including clinical parameters, angiographic results, procedural aspects, complications, and hemorrhages. RESULTS: Median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) on admission was 17 (3-30). Intracranial thrombectomy was performed prior to ICA stenting in 25/37 (67.6 %) and after stenting in 12/37 (32.4 %) patients. ICA stenting was successful in all cases, and a thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (TICI) scale 2b/3 result was achieved in 27/37 (73 %) cases. The mean angiography time was significantly shorter in the "thrombectomy first" group (43.1 ± 30.8 vs. 110.8 ± 43.0 min, p < 0.001), and more patients had favorable outcomes after 3 months (13/25 = 52.0 vs. 4/12 = 33.3 %, p = 0.319). In this group, intermediate catheters were used and successfully prevented embolism to unaffected territories in all cases. CONCLUSION: Acute stenting of the cervical ICA in combination with intracranial thrombectomy was technically feasible and safe in our series. Thrombectomy prior to proximal stenting was associated with shorter reperfusion times and a tendency towards better clinical outcome leading to a good outcome in about 50 % of the patients. Therefore, we recommend this approach in tandem occlusion requiring stent angioplasty.

Is Stent Retraction to ReLieve Arterial Cerebral VaSospasm Caused by SAH (Stent-ReLACSS) Using PRELAX the Long-awaited Solution for Treatment of Posthemorrhagic Cerebral Vasospasm? : Treatment of Posthemorrhagic Cerebral Vasospasm with PRESET and PRELAX: Technical Aspects, Efficacy, and Safety Margins in a Case Series.

PURPOSE: Recent observational studies have indicated the efficacy of stent retriever devices for the treatment of posthemorrhagic cerebral vasospasm (CVS), both by deployment and on-site withdrawal into the microcatheter (stent angioplasty, SA) and deployment followed by retraction through the target vessel similar to thrombectomy (Stent Retraction to reLieve Arterial Cerebral vaSospasm caused by SAH, Stent-ReLACSS). This article reports the findings with each application of pRESET and pRELAX in the treatment of CVS. METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled 25 patients with severe CVS following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. For the SA group, a stent retriever or a pRELAX was temporarily deployed into a narrow vessel segment and retrieved into the microcatheter after 3 min. For the Stent-ReLACSS group, a pRELAX was temporarily deployed into a narrow vessel and pulled back unfolded into the internal carotid artery. If intra-arterial vasodilators were administered, they were given exclusively after mechanical vasospasmolysis to maximize the effectiveness of the stent treatment. RESULTS: In this study fifteen patients and 49 vessels were treated with SA. All were technically successful without periprocedural complications; however, 8/15 patients (53.3%) required additional treatment of the CVS. A total of 10 patients and 23 vessel segments were treated with Stent-ReLACSS. All maneuvers were technically successful without periprocedural complications and all vessels showed significant angiographic improvement. No recurrent CVS requiring further endovascular treatment occurred in-hospital, and neither territorial ischemia in the treated vessels nor vascular injury were observed in follow-up angiography. CONCLUSION: Based on the presented data it appears that Stent-ReLACSS with pRELAX does not pose any additional risks when used to treat CVS and might be superior to SA, especially concerning mid-term and long-term efficacy. The mechanism of action may be an effect on the endothelium rather than mechanical vasodilation. As many patients with CVS are diagnosed too late, prophylactic treatment of high-risk patients (e.g., poor grade, young, female) is potentially viable.

Basilar artery occlusion: drip-and-ship versus direct-to-center for mechanical thrombectomy within the Neurovascular Network of Southwest Bavaria (NEVAS).

BACKGROUND: Recent clinical trials revealed a substantial clinical benefit for mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in patients with basilar artery occlusion (BAO). While urban areas are sufficiently covered with comprehensive stroke centers and MT expertise, rural areas lack such resources. Structured telemedical stroke networks offer rural hospitals instant consultation by stroke experts, enabling swift administration of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) on-site and transportation for MT. For BAO patients, data on performance and clinical outcomes in telemedical stroke networks are lacking. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from patients with acute BAO eligible for MT: those treated directly in our comprehensive stroke center (direct-to-center/DC) and those treated in rural hospitals that were telemedically consulted by the Neurovascular Network of Southwest Bavaria (NEVAS) and transferred to our center for MT (drip-and-ship, DS). Key time intervals, stroke management performance and functional outcome after 90 days were compared. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics, including premorbid status and stroke severity, were comparable. Time from symptom onset to IVT was identical in both groups (118 min). There was a delay of 180 min until recanalization in DS patients, mainly due to patient transport for MT. Procedural treatment time intervals, success of recanalization and complications were comparable. Clinical outcome at 3 months follow-up of DS patients was not inferior to DC patients. CONCLUSION: We show for the first time that patients with BAO in rural areas benefit from a structured telemedicine network such as NEVAS, regarding both on-site processing and drip-and-ship for MT. Clinical outcomes are comparable among DS and DC patients.

Perifocal Edema in Patients with Meningioma is Associated with Impaired Whole-Brain Connectivity as Detected by Resting-State fMRI.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Meningiomas are intracranial tumors that usually carry a benign prognosis. Some meningiomas cause perifocal edema. Resting-state fMRI can be used to assess whole-brain functional connectivity, which can serve as a marker for disease severity. Here, we investigated whether the presence of perifocal edema in preoperative patients with meningiomas leads to impaired functional connectivity and if these changes are associated with cognitive function. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with suspected meningiomas were prospectively included, and resting-state fMRI scans were obtained. Impairment of functional connectivity was quantified on a whole-brain level using our recently published resting-state fMRI-based marker, called the dysconnectivity index. Using uni- and multivariate regression models, we investigated the association of the dysconnectivity index with edema and tumor volume as well as cognitive test scores. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients were included. In a multivariate regression analysis, there was a highly significant association of dysconnectivity index values and edema volume in the total sample and in a subsample of 14 patients with edema, when accounting for potential confounders like age and temporal SNR. There was no statistically significant association with tumor volume. Better neurocognitive performance was strongly associated with lower dysconnectivity index values. CONCLUSIONS: Resting-state fMRI showed a significant association between impaired functional connectivity and perifocal edema, but not tumor volume, in patients with meningiomas. We demonstrated that better neurocognitive function was associated with less impairment of functional connectivity. This result shows that our resting-state fMRI marker indicates a detrimental influence of peritumoral brain edema on global functional connectivity in patients with meningiomas.

Reinforcement learning for patient-specific optimal stenting of intracranial aneurysms.

Developing new capabilities to predict the risk of intracranial aneurysm rupture and to improve treatment outcomes in the follow-up of endovascular repair is of tremendous medical and societal interest, both to support decision-making and assessment of treatment options by medical doctors, and to improve the life quality and expectancy of patients. This study aims at identifying and characterizing novel flow-deviator stent devices through a high-fidelity computational framework that combines state-of-the-art numerical methods to accurately describe the mechanical exchanges between the blood flow, the aneurysm, and the flow-deviator and deep reinforcement learning algorithms to identify a new stent concepts enabling patient-specific treatment via accurate adjustment of the functional parameters in the implanted state.

Endovascular treatment of acute intracerebral artery occlusions with the solitaire stent: single-centre experience with 108 recanalization procedures.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stent retrievers are currently displacing 'classical' thrombectomy devices for recanalization in acute ischaemic stroke. The aim of our study was to show the procedural efficacy and safety of the Solitaire stent retriever as part of our multimodality endovascular approach in the treatment of ischaemic stroke. METHODS: Between March 2008 and December 2009, 104 patients [53 females (51%), 51 males (49%), mean age 67.3 years (range 31-96)] with 108 territorial occlusions were treated with the Solitaire stent alone or in conjunction with other endovascular stroke devices. All patients were referred to our service after clinical evaluation by a team of stroke neurologists as part of our standard treatment algorithm with 0.9 mg/kg i.v. recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator and endovascular continuation of treatment in CT angiography-proven main branch occlusion. The time of angiography was defined as the moment of groin puncture. Final reperfusion success was rated according to the Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (TICI) scale; the first persistent Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) 2/3 reperfusion was used for time-to-reperfusion measures. RESULTS: Fifty-eight patients were treated in conjunction with intravenous lysis, 32/104 received intra-arterial lytics. Twenty-five territories were treated with the Solitaire alone; the remaining 83 were treated with a combination of mechanical thrombectomy devices or aspiration thrombectomy followed by or in conjunction with the Solitaire. The most frequent combination was a proximal aspiration/distal access catheter and Solitaire (62/108). In 15/108 procedures, temporary stenting without thrombectomy was performed. Eighty-three successful thrombectomy attempts were performed in the remaining 93 territories. The mean number of Solitaire passes was 2.46 (median 2, max. 12). The mean time from onset to reperfusion was 265 min (range 56-1,031), median 230 min; the mean angio-to-reperfusion time was 47 min (5-186), median 38.5 min. A subanalysis showed a significant reduction of the angio-to-reperfusion time when the Solitaire was used (48.7 vs. 68 min). The rate of final TICI 2b/3 reperfusion was 79% for the anterior and 77.9% for the posterior circulation (TIMI 2/3 for both: 92.5%). During or after the first deployment of the Solitaire, 72.8% showed TIMI 2/3 reperfusion. The mean National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score on admission was 15.3 and decreased by 7.8 points at clinical discharge. The overall mortality at discharge was 16% in the anterior and 47.8% in the posterior circulation group. There were 2 cases of periprocedural intracranial haemorrhage, unrelated to the Solitaire, 6 patients had evidence of subarachnoid haemorrhage, 2 potentially related to the Solitaire deployment. In 4/108 territories, thrombus migration to previously unaffected territories was noted. Vasospasm was seen in 13% of the target vessels. One device was inadvertently detached during retrieval. All these complications had no clinical consequence. CONCLUSIONS: Our single-centre experience proves the technical feasibility and safety of the Solitaire for the treatment of acute intracranial vessel occlusion and approves previous reports with smaller patient numbers. Further multicentre studies with a randomized and prospective design will be necessary to verify the results.

Early venous drainage after successful endovascular recanalization in ischemic stroke -- a predictor for final infarct volume?

INTRODUCTION: Peri-ischemic early venous filling (PEVD) has been reported to occur at certain stages of brain infarction and has previously been termed as "luxury perfusion". We report on the significance of PEVD after a successful endovascular recanalization. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated all patients who underwent endovascular stroke treatment from February 2006 to April 2010 in two centers. PEVD was rated as present or absent. Infarction was evaluated on computed tomography (CT) ≥ 18 h post-treatment. Localization of the PEVD and the infarction was noted for the anterior and posterior circulation; for the anterior circulation, also deep and superficial veins/brain regions were defined. RESULTS: A total of 151 of the 175 patients developed an infarct. Of these 151 patients, 118 had PEVD (sensitivity 78.1%); meanwhile, 20 of 24 patients without an infarction had no PEVD (specificity 83.3%). Consistent localization of the PEVD and the infarct was seen in 107/151 patients (70.9%); in 28 of these 107 cases, the territory of PEVD was smaller than the infarct (26.2%) and exceeded it in 7/107 patients (5.6%). Territorial congruency of the PEVD and the final infarct was 57.6-75% for deep/superficial brain regions of the anterior, but only 16.7% for the posterior circulation. Separate evaluation for the anterior circulation resulted in a 94.9% sensitivity and an 81.0% specificity. CONCLUSION: PEVD is a potential angiographic predictor for irreversible regional tissue damage and subsequent infarction despite successful recanalization. This finding deserves further studies and may influence therapeutic decisions such as post-treatment anticoagulative medication. It may also be considered in potential refined classifications of angiographic reperfusion success in the future.

Treatment of Proximal Posterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery Aneurysms by Intrasaccular Flow Disruption: A Multicenter Experience.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Treatment of PICA aneurysms can be technically challenging by either surgical or endovascular means. Our aim was to report our preliminary experience with intrasaccular flow disruption using the Woven EndoBridge (WEB) for the treatment of proximal PICA aneurysms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen PICA aneurysms treated with the WEB at 3 institutions were retrospectively reviewed. Baseline patient and aneurysm characteristics, procedural specifics, clinical outcomes, and angiographic results were evaluated. RESULTS: All aneurysms were located at the proximal, anteromedullary segment of the PICA. Seven aneurysms were ruptured. The median aneurysm size was 3.9 mm (range, 2-12 mm), and all aneurysms were wide-neck. WEB deployment failed in 1 case due to WEB protrusion in a small PICA aneurysm. Additional stent implantation was required for 2 aneurysms to improve intra-aneurysmal WEB positioning. One patient developed a partial posterior cerebral artery territory infarction with transient hemianopsia. Intraoperative rerupture of a ruptured aneurysm could be immediately stopped by WEB deployment due to intrasaccular stasis; however, it might have contributed to a slight disability of the patient. At last angiographic follow-up, 12/15 aneurysms (80%) were completely occluded and 3/15 (20%) had a neck remnant. CONCLUSIONS: The preliminary results indicate that WEB treatment of proximal PICA aneurysms is feasible with a reasonable safety and efficacy profile. The advantages of intrasaccular flow disruption include preservation of the PICA, durable aneurysm occlusion, and omission of antiplatelet therapy. The low-profile WEB 17 delivery system might enable navigation to distal PICA aneurysms, which needs to be addressed further.

True first-pass effect in basilar artery occlusions: First-pass complete reperfusion improves clinical outcome in stroke thrombectomy patients.

BACKGROUND: Complete reperfusion (mTICI 3) in anterior circulation ischemic stroke patients after a single mechanical thrombectomy (MT) pass has been identified as a predictor of favorable outcome (modified Rankin Score 0-2) and defined as true first-pass effect recently. This effect has not yet been demonstrated in posterior circulation ischemic stroke. We hypothesized a true first-pass effect for the subgroup of acute basilar artery occlusions (BAO). METHODS: Consecutive patients with acute thromboembolic occlusions in the posterior circulation, treated between 2010 and 2017, were screened and all BAO patients with complete angiographic reperfusion and known symptom onset included for unmatched and matched analysis after adjustment for multiple confounding factors (demographics, time intervals, stroke severity, posterior circulation Alberta Stroke Program early computed tomography Score and comorbidity. The primary objective was outcome at 90 days between matched cohorts of single pass vs. multi pass complete reperfusion patients. RESULTS: 90 MTs in BAO were analyzed, yielding 56 patients with known symptom onset, in whom we achieved complete reperfusion (mTICI 3), depending on whether complete reperfusion was achieved after a single pass (n = 28) or multiple passes (n = 28). Multivariable analysis of 56 non-matched patients revealed a significant association between first-pass complete reperfusion and favorable outcome (p < 0.01). In matched cohorts (n = 7 vs. n = 7), favorable outcome was only seen if complete reperfusion was achieved after a single pass (86% vs. 0%). CONCLUSION: Single pass complete reperfusion in acute basilar artery occlusion is an independent predictor of favorable outcome. Achieving complete reperfusion after multiple passes might impair favorable patient recovery.

MRI plaque imaging reveals high-risk carotid plaques especially in diabetic patients irrespective of the degree of stenosis.

BACKGROUND: Plaque imaging based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) represents a new modality for risk assessment in atherosclerosis. It allows classification of carotid plaques in high-risk and low-risk lesion types (I-VIII). Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM 2) represents a known risk factor for atherosclerosis, but its specific influence on plaque vulnerability is not fully understood. This study investigates whether MRI-plaque imaging can reveal differences in carotid plaque features of diabetic patients compared to nondiabetics. METHODS: 191 patients with moderate to high-grade carotid artery stenosis were enrolled after written informed consent was obtained. Each patient underwent MRI-plaque imaging using a 1.5-T scanner with phased-array carotid coils. The carotid plaques were classified as lesion types I-VIII according to the MRI-modified AHA criteria. For 36 patients histology data was available. RESULTS: Eleven patients were excluded because of insufficient MR-image quality. DM 2 was diagnosed in 51 patients (28.3%). Concordance between histology and MRI-classification was 91.7% (33/36) and showed a Cohen's kappa value of 0.81 with a 95% CI of 0.98-1.15. MRI-defined high-risk lesion types were overrepresented in diabetic patients (n = 29; 56.8%). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed association between DM 2 and MRI-defined high-risk lesion types (OR 2.59; 95% CI [1.15-5.81]), independent of the degree of stenosis. CONCLUSION: DM 2 seems to represent a predictor for the development of vulnerable carotid plaques irrespective of the degree of stenosis and other risk factors. MRI-plaque imaging represents a new tool for risk stratification of diabetic patients.

Comparative analysis of CGUARD embolic prevention stent with Casper-RX and Wallstent for the treatment of carotid artery stenosis.

Stent protected Angioplasty of extracranial carotid artery stenosis using the dual-layered CGUARD stent is a novel treatment option. In this study we evaluate the feasibility and the safety of the CGUARD in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients in comparison to Casper-RX and Wallstent. This is a multi-center study of consecutive patients treated with the CGUARD, Casper-RX and Wallstent at two German high volume neurovascular centers between April 2017 and May 2018. Patient characteristics, neuroimaging data and angiographic outcome were retrospectively analyzed. The primary end points of the study were acute occlusion of the carotid stent and symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH). Carotid artery stenting was performed in 76 patients; of those 26 (34%) were treated with the CGUARD, 25 (33%) with Casper-RX, and 25 (33%) with Wallstent. In 58/76 (76%) cases carotid artery stenosis was symptomatic with a median baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale of 4. Angioplasty and stenting as part of a mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke was performed in 25/76 (33%) patients. Baseline patient characteristics were similar between the treatment groups, except for a higher portion of scheduled cases in the Casper-RX group. There were no significant differences in the rate of acute in stent occlusions (CGUARD, 2/26 (8%); Casper-RX, 1/25(4%); Wallstent, 1/25 (4%)) and postinterventional sICH (1/26 (4%), 0/25(0%), 0/25 (0%)). Clinical outcome at discharge did not differ between groups. Treatment of carotid artery stenosis using CGUARD is feasible with a good safety profile comparable to that of Casper-RX and Wallstent.

CD40-activated B cells can be generated in high number and purity in cancer patients: analysis of immunogenicity and homing potential.

Cellular adjuvants such as dendritic cells (DC) are in the focus of tumour immunotherapy. In DC-vaccine trials, induction of tumour antigen-specific immunity is observed frequently and well-documented clinical responses have been reported. However, the overall response rate is less than 3%, therefore alternative strategies are being investigated. CD40-activated B cells (CD40-B) have been characterized previously as an interesting alternative because they present antigen efficiently and can be expanded by several logs from small amounts of peripheral blood. To determine the central technical challenges of cell-based vaccines we performed a single-patient analysis of 502 patients from DC-based tumour vaccine trials and identified at least three factors contributing to their limited efficiency: (1) lack of cell numbers; (2) lack of documented purity thus high contamination of bystander cells; and (3) lack of quality control and thus heterogeneous or unknown expression of important surface molecules such as major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and chemokine receptors. Based on these findings we re-evaluated the CD40-B approach in cancer patients. Here, we show that proliferation of B cells from cancer patients is equivalent to that observed in healthy donors. Purity is always > 90% after 2 weeks and remains stable for several weeks. They have comparable antigen-presenting capability determined phenotypically and by allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reaction. Expression of CCR7 and CD62L was detected in all samples and B cells migrated towards the relevant homing chemokines. Taken together, CD40-B cells from cancer patients can be expanded in virtually unlimited numbers at high purity and full function concerning antigen-presentation and migratory properties.

Endovascular management of dural arteriovenous fistulas of the transverse and sigmoid sinus in 150 patients.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficiency of the endovascular treatment of transverse-sigmoid sinus dural arteriovenous fistulas (TS_dAVF). METHODS: A total of 150 consecutive patients and 348 procedures were evaluated. RESULTS: Pulsatile tinnitus (81%), headache (15%), and intracranial hemorrhage (10%) were the most frequent manifestations of the TS_dAVFs. More than half of the affected sinuses were partially or completely thrombosed. Access-wise treatment was performed transarterial (n = 33), transvenous (n = 21), or a combination thereof (n = 96). A mean of 2.4 procedures per patient was required. Immediate postprocedural occlusion rate after transarterial embolization was 30% only. Transvenous treatment alone resulted in an early occlusion rate of 81%, with delayed complete obliteration of half of the remaining fistulas. After combined transarterial/transvenous treatment, the angiographic cure rate was 54%. At follow-up, 88% of patients with residual shunt after the treatment showed complete occlusion. The cumulative complication rate was 9% (n = 13), with minor adverse events in ten patients (7%) and major complications in three patients (2%). CONCLUSION: Transvenous coil occlusion of the sinus segment with the adjacent dAVF site, eventually combined with transarterial occlusion of supplying arteries, is a very effective and well-tolerated treatment method. In selected patients, variations of these methods (e.g., sinus stenting, compartmental sinus occlusion) can be useful.