Intravenous Thrombolysis before Complete Angiographic Reperfusion: Beyond Angiographic Assessment to Target Microvascular Obstruction?

OBJECTIVE: Recent data have suggested that ineffective tissue reperfusion despite successful angiographic reperfusion was partly responsible for unfavorable outcomes after endovascular therapy (EVT) and might be modulated by intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) use before EVT. To specifically decipher the effect played by IVT before EVT, we compared the clinical and safety outcomes of patients who experienced a complete reperfusion at the end of EVT according to IVT use before EVT. METHODS: The Endovascular Treatment in Ischemic Stroke (ETIS) registry is an ongoing, prospective, observational study at 21 centers that perform EVT in France. Patients were included if they had an anterior large vessel occlusion of the intracranial internal carotid artery or middle cerebral artery (M1/M2 segments) and complete reperfusion (expanded Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction score = 3) with EVT within 6 hours, between January 2015 and December 2021. The cohort was divided into two groups according to IVT use before EVT, and propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance the two groups. Primary outcome was the shift in the degree of disability as measured by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 90 days. Secondary outcomes included favorable outcome (mRS 0-2) at 90 days. Safety outcomes included symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage and 90-day mortality. Outcomes were estimated with multivariate logistic models adjusted for age, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score, and time from symptom onset to puncture. RESULTS: Among 5,429 patients included in the ETIS registry, 1,093 were included in the study, including 651 patients with complete recanalization treated with IVT before EVT. After PSM, 488 patients treated with IVT before EVT were compared to 337 patients without IVT. In the matched cohort analysis, the IVT+EVT group had a favorable shift in the overall mRS score distribution (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.41, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.04-1.91, p = 0.023) and higher rates of favorable outcome (61.1% vs 48.7%, aOR = 1.49, 95% CI = 1.02-2.20, p = 0.041) at 90 days compared with the EVT alone group. Rates of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage were comparable between both groups (6.0% vs 4.3%, aOR = 1.16, 95% CI = 0.53-2.54, p = 0.709). INTERPRETATION: In clinical practice, even after complete angiographic reperfusion by EVT, prior IVT use improves clinical outcomes of patients without increasing bleeding risk. ANN NEUROL 2024;95:762-773.

The Benefit of a Complete over a Successful Reperfusion Decreases with Time.

OBJECTIVE: Time from stroke onset to reperfusion (TSOR) is strongly associated with outcomes after endovascular treatment. A near-to-complete or complete reperfusion (modified Treatment in Cerebral Ischemia [mTICI] 2c-3) is associated with improved outcomes compared with a successful reperfusion (mTICI 2b). However, it is unknown whether this association remains stable as TSOR increases. Therefore, we sought to investigate the association between TSOR and outcomes according to the reperfusion status. METHODS: We analyzed data from the Endovascular Treatment in Ischemic Stroke registry, a prospective, observational, multicentric study of acute ischemic stroke patients treated with endovascular treatment in 21 centers in France. We included patients with anterior occlusions (M1, internal carotid artery, tandem), with a known time of symptom onset. Outcomes were early neurological improvement at 24 hours and favorable outcome (modified Rankin Scale between 0 and 2) at 90 days. RESULTS: Overall, 4,444 patients were analyzed. Compared with a mTICI 2b, a mTICI 2c-3 at 1 hour was associated with higher mean marginal probabilities of early neurological improvement (25.6%, 95% CI 11.7-39.5, p = 0.0003) and favorable outcome (15.2%, 95% CI 3.0-27.4, p = 0.0143), and progressively declined with TSOR. The benefit of a mTICI 2c-3 over a mTICI 2b was no longer significant regarding the rates of early neurological improvement and favorable outcome after a TSOR of 414 and 344 minutes, respectively. INTERPRETATION: The prognostic value of a complete over a successful reperfusion progressively declined with time, and no difference regarding the rates of favorable outcome was observed between a complete and successful reperfusion beyond 5.7 hours. ANN NEUROL 2023;93:934-941.

Thrombectomy with or without Intravenous Thrombolytics in Basilar Artery Occlusion.

OBJECTIVE: Two randomized trials demonstrated the benefit of endovascular therapy (EVT) in patients suffering from a stroke due to a basilar artery occlusion (BAO). However, intravenous thrombolytic (IVT) use before EVT was low in these trials, questioning the added value of this treatment in this setting. We sought to investigate the efficacy and safety of EVT alone compared to IVT + EVT in stroke patients with a BAO. METHODS: We analyzed data from the Endovascular Treatment in Ischemic Stroke registry, a prospective, observational, multicenter study of acute ischemic stroke patients treated with EVT in 21 centers in France between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2021. We included patients with BAO and/or intracranial vertebral artery occlusion and compared patients treated with EVT alone versus IVT + EVT after propensity score (PS) matching. Variables selected for the PS were pre-stroke mRS, dyslipidemia, diabetes, anticoagulation, admission mode, baseline NIHSS and ASPECTS, type of anesthesia, and time from symptom onset to puncture. Efficacy outcomes were good functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] 0-3) and functional independence (mRS 0-2) at 90 days. Safety outcomes were symptomatic intracranial hemorrhages and all-cause mortality at 90 days. RESULTS: Among 385 patients, 243 (134 EVT alone and 109 IVT + EVT) were included after PS matching. There was no difference between EVT alone and IVT + EVT regarding good functional outcome (adjusted odd ratio [aOR] labeling = 1.27, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.68-2.37, p = 0.45) and functional independence (aOR = 1.50, 95% CI, 0.79-2.85, p = 0.21). Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage and all-cause mortality were also similar between the two groups (aOR = 0.42, 95% CI, 0.10-1.79, p = 0.24 and aOR = 0.56, 95% CI, 0.29-1.10, p = 0.09, respectively). INTERPRETATION: In this PS matching analysis, EVT alone seemed to lead to similar neurological recovery than IVT + EVT, with comparable safety profile. However, given our sample size and the observational nature of this study, further studies are needed to confirm these findings. ANN NEUROL 2023;94:596-604.

Parenchymal Hemorrhage Rate Is Associated with Time to Reperfusion and Outcome.

OBJECTIVE: Despite a 90% reperfusion rate, only 50% of patients with anterior circulation large vessel occlusion-related acute ischemic stroke (LVO-AIS) have a functional recovery at 3 months. Parenchymal hematoma (PH) is a predictor of poor outcome after endovascular treatment (EVT). We aim to investigate the relationship between the delay from onset to reperfusion, the occurrence of PH, and functional outcome. METHODS: The Endovascular Treatment in Ischemic Stroke (ETIS) registry is an ongoing prospective observational study. Data were analyzed from the subgroup of patients who underwent a successful EVT defined by a modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (mTICI) score 2b-3. We assessed the factors associated with PH, (ie, PH1 or PH2 grade according to the European Collaborative Acute Stroke Study 2 (ECASS) classification of hemorrhagic transformation), then evaluated the relationships between PH, delay from onset to reperfusion, and functional recovery defined by a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) of 0-2. RESULTS: We analyzed 2,919 patients with an LVO-related AIS who underwent a successful EVT. Overall, 13.3% of the participant experienced a PH. The rate of PH increased by 2.5% (95% CI 1.5%-3.6%, p < 0.001) for every additional hour of onset to reperfusion delay and was, by comparison with the other study patients, consistently associated with a lower rate of functional recovery 19.7% (95% CI 11.6%-27.7%, p < 0.001) irrespective of time from onset to reperfusion. INTERPRETATION: Our results demonstrate that PH rate is associated with the delay from onset to reperfusion and participates in the relationship between time to reperfusion and outcome. Time is Bleeding. ANN NEUROL 2022;92:882-887.

Endovascular therapy versus no endovascular therapy in patients receiving best medical management for acute isolated occlusion of the posterior cerebral artery: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Endovascular therapy (EVT) is increasingly reported for treatment of isolated posterior cerebral artery (PCA) occlusions although its clinical benefit remains uncertain. This study-level meta-analysis investigated the functional outcomes and safety of EVT and best medical management (BMM) compared to BMM alone for treatment of PCA occlusion stroke. METHODS: We conducted a literature search in PubMed, Web of Science and Embase for studies in patients with isolated PCA occlusion stroke treated with EVT + BMM or BMM including intravenous thrombolysis. There were no randomized trials and all studies were retrospective. The primary outcome was modified Rankin Scale score of 0-2 at 3 months, while safety outcomes included mortality rate and incidence of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH). RESULTS: Twelve studies with a total of 679 patients were included in the meta-analysis: 338 patients with EVT + BMM and 341 patients receiving BMM alone. Good functional outcome at 3 months was achieved in 58.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 43.83-70.95) of patients receiving EVT + BMM and 48.1% (95% CI 40.35-55.92) of patients who received BMM alone, with respective mortality rates of 12.6% (95% CI 7.30-20.93) and 12.3% (95% CI 8.64-17.33). sICH occurred in 4.2% (95% CI 2.47-7.03) of patients treated with EVT + BMM and 3.2% (95% CI 1.75-5.92) of patients treated with BMM alone. Comparative analyses were performed on studies that included both treatments and these demonstrated no significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that EVT represents a safe treatment for patients with isolated PCA occlusion stroke. There were no differences in clinical or safety outcomes between treatments, supporting randomization of future patients into distal vessel occlusion trials.

Thrombectomy Complications in Large Vessel Occlusions: Incidence, Predictors, and Clinical Impact in the ETIS Registry.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Procedural complications in thrombectomy for large vessel occlusions of the anterior circulation are not well described. We investigated the incidence, risk factors, and clinical implications of thrombectomy complications in daily clinical practice. METHODS: We used data from the ongoing prospective multicenter observational Endovascular Treatment in Ischemic Stroke Registry in France. The present study is a retrospective analysis of 4029 stroke patients with anterior large vessel occlusions treated with thrombectomy between January 2015 and May 2020 in 18 centers. We systematically collected procedural data, incidence of embolic complications, perforations and dissections, clinical outcome at 90 days, and hemorrhagic complications. RESULTS: Procedural complications occurred in 7.99% (95% CI, 7.17%-8.87%), and embolus to a new territory (ENT) was the most frequent (5.2%). Predictors of ENTs were terminal carotid/tandem occlusion (odds ratio [OR], 5 [95% CI, 2.03-12.31]; P<0.001) and an increased total number of passes (OR, 1.22 [95% CI, 1.05-1.41]; P=0.006). ENTs were associated to worse clinical outcomes (90-day modified Rankin Scale score, 0-2; adjusted OR, 0.4 [95% CI, 0.25-0.63]; P<0.001), increased mortality (adjusted OR, 1.74 [95% CI, 1.2-2.53]; P<0.001), and symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (adjusted OR, 1.87 [95% CI, 1.15-3.03]; P=0.011). Perforations occurred in 1.69% (95% CI, 1.31%-2.13%). Predictors of perforations were terminal carotid/tandem occlusions (39.7% versus 27.6%; P=0.028). 40.7% of patients died at 90 days, and the overall rate of poor outcome was 74.6% in case of perforation. Dissections occurred in 1.46% (95% CI, 1.11%-1.88%) and were more common in younger patients (median age, 64.2 versus 70.2 years; P=0.002). Dissections did not affect the clinical outcome at 90 days. Besides dissection, complications were independent of the thrombectomy technique. CONCLUSIONS: Thrombectomy complication rate is not negligible, and ENTs were the most frequent. ENTs and perforations were associated with disability and mortality, and terminal carotid/tandem occlusions were a risk factor. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03776877.

Impact of Prior Antiplatelet Therapy on Outcomes After Endovascular Therapy for Acute Stroke: Endovascular Treatment in Ischemic Stroke Registry Results.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The influence of prior antiplatelet therapy (APT) uses on the outcomes of patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with endovascular therapy is unclear. We compared procedural and clinical outcomes of endovascular therapy in patients on APT or not before stroke onset. METHODS: We analyzed 2 groups from the ongoing prospective multicenter Endovascular Treatment in Ischemic Stroke registry in France: patients on prior APT (APT+) and patients without prior APT (APT-) treated by endovascular therapy, with and without intravenous thrombolysis. Multilevel mixed-effects logistic models including center as random effect were used to compare angiographic (rates of reperfusion at the end of procedure, procedural complications) and clinical (favorable and excellent outcome, 90-day all-cause mortality, and hemorrhagic complications) outcomes according to APT subgroups. Comparisons were adjusted for prespecified confounders (age, admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score, intravenous thrombolysis, and time from onset to puncture), as well as for meaningful baseline between-group differences. RESULTS: A total of 2939 patients were analyzed, of whom 877 (29.8%) were on prior APT. Patients with prior APT were older, had more frequent vascular risk factors, cardioembolic stroke mechanism, and prestroke disability. Rates of complete reperfusion (37.9% in the APT- group versus 42.7 % in the APT+ group; aOR, 1.09 [95% CI, 0.88-1.34]; P=0.41) and periprocedural complication (16.9% versus 13.3%; aOR, 0.90 [95% CI, 0.7-1.2]; P=0.66) did not differ between the two groups. Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (aOR, 0.93 [95% CI, 0.63-1.37]; P=0.73), 3 months favorable clinical outcome (modified Rankin Scale score of 0-2; aOR, 0.98 [95% CI, 0.77-1.25]; P=0.89), and mortality (aOR, 0.95 [95% CI, 0.72-1.26]; P=0.76) at 90 days did not differ between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Prior APT does not influence angiographic and functional outcomes following endovascular therapy and should not be taken into account for acute revascularization strategies.

Age and Outcome after Endovascular Treatment in Anterior Circulation Large-Vessel Occlusion Stroke: ETIS Registry Results.

BACKGROUND: Increasing patient age has been identified in clinical trials as a poor prognostic factor for functional independence after endovascular treatment (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke. These findings may not be fully generalizable to clinical practice due to strict inclusion and exclusion criteria in these trials. We aim to assess and quantify the association of patient age, especially in patients >80 and >90 years old, with functional outcome after EVT in current, everyday clinical practice. METHODS: The ETIS (Endovascular Treatment in Ischemic Stroke) Registry is an ongoing, prospective, observational study of 6 comprehensive stroke centers in France. We analyzed 1,708 patients treated between January 2017 and December 2018 and assessed the association of patient age with functional outcome adjusting for demographic and procedural predictors of functional outcome. RESULTS: The positive effect of mechanical thrombectomy diminished significantly with increasing age: compared to the 18-80 years age group, the odds for achieving a good functional outcome at 90 days after the procedure decreased in the 80-90 and >90 years groups (multilevel OR: 0.38, 95% CI: 0.28-0.51 and OR: 0.2, 95% CI: 0.09-0.45, respectively, p < 0.001). Increasing age was associated with increased mortality (multilevel OR: 2.46, 95% CI: 1.72-3.54 for the 80-90 years group and multilevel OR: 5.49, 95% CI: 2.97-10.16 for the >90 years group). CONCLUSION: Patient age is strongly associated with functional outcome after EVT for acute ischemic stroke. The positive effect of thrombectomy persists in older age groups, even after adjustment for prognostic factors related to poor functional outcome. Stroke physicians should provide EVT irrespective of the patient's age.

Bleomycin for Head and Neck Venolymphatic Malformations: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Venolymphatic malformations are rare benign vascular lesions of the head and neck. Sclerotherapy has become the first-line therapy of these lesions with bleomycin being a sclerosing agent commonly used. PURPOSE: To perform a systematic review of the published literature to synthesize evidence on the safety and efficacy of bleomycin for the treatment of head and neck venolymphatic malformations. DATA SOURCES: A systematic review of the literature (January 1995-May 2019) was performed in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases to identify studies on sclerotherapy of venolymphatic malformations of the head and neck. STUDY SELECTION: A total of 32 studies with participants met the inclusion criteria among which 1121 patients were included in the systematic review. DATA ANALYSIS: Two reviewers independently screened and extracted data and assessed the risk of bias. The primary outcome was the subjective or objective reduction of lesion size as well as minor and major complications. DATA SYNTHESIS: The bleomycin/pingyangmycin sclerotherapy achieved subjective or objective lesion size reduction in 96.3% (95% CI 94.1%-98.5%) of patients. Minor complications were observed in 16.2% and major complications in 1.1%. CONCLUSION: Bleomycin is a highly effective treatment of venolymphatic malformations of the head and neck with a low rate of major adverse events. This study represents an update on the "available" evidence, but only low-to-moderate quality studies were available. LIMITATIONS: This study reviewed 32 studies performed in different parts of the world, but there was heterogeneity of the study designs and interventions.

Stability of ischemic core volume during the initial hours of acute large vessel ischemic stroke in a subgroup of mechanically revascularized patients.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to relate growth of the infarct core with time to recanalization in patients receiving mechanical recanalization in whom the time of recanalization is known. METHODS: We analyzed data from patients with anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke who underwent mechanical recanalization. Demographic and angiographic characteristics, initial apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) infarct volume, time-to-peak defect volume, revascularization grade, 24-48 h nonenhanced computed tomography (CT) infarct volume, symptom onset to recanalization time, diffusion-weighted imaging to recanalization time, and discharge National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores were compared between minimal and substantial infarct growth groups. Substantial infarct growth was defined as an increase of infarct volume >10 cm(3) assessed by subtracting initial ADC infarct core volume from infarct volume at 24-48 h CT. RESULTS: Of 25 patients, 9 had minimal infarct growth (median 0 cm(3), interquartile range (IQR) -3 to 5 cm(3)) and 16 had substantial infarct growth (median 103 cm(3), IQR 48-132 cm(3)). Patients with minimal infarct growth had a median time from symptom onset to recanalization of 329 min (IQR 314-412 min) and a median time from imaging to recanalization of 231 min (IQR 198-309 min). On univariate analysis, minimal infarct growth was related to male gender (p = 0.04), smaller initial ADC volume (p = 0.04), higher recanalization grade (p < 0.001), and lower discharge NIHSS (p = 0.04) and mRS grades (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: There was no or minimal infarct core growth in at least one third of patients despite an exceptionally long median time from magnetic resonance imaging to recanalization of almost 4 h.

Number of passes and outcome of endovascular treatment of anterior circulation large core ischemic stroke: insights from the Endovascular Treatment in Ischemic Stroke (ETIS) registry.

BACKGROUND: The effect of multiple attempts on the outcome of endovascular treatment (EVT) of anterior circulation large ischemic core (LIC) stroke has not been fully explored. METHODS: We analyzed data from the Endovascular Treatment in Ischemic Stroke (ETIS) registry, a prospective, observational, multicenter study of acute ischemic stroke patients treated with EVT at 21 centers in France between January 1, 2015 and June 31, 2023. We included patients with proximal intracranial occlusion and LIC defined as Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS) of 0-5 up to 24 hours after last being seen well. We divided patients according to the number of passes with successful reperfusion (modified Thrombolysis In Cerebral Infarction (mTICI) ≥2b) into seven groups, according to the corresponding number of passes. We compared them to the group of patients with unsuccessful reperfusion. RESULTS: A total of 1235 patients with LIC constituted the study cohort. The rate of a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 0 to 3 at 90 days was significantly higher for the one-pass successful recanalization category compared to no recanalization (48.1% vs 17.2%; adjusted OR (aOR) 7.99, 95% CI 4.30 to 14.8, P<0.001) and remained so even after six or more attempts (27.7% vs 17.2%; aOR 3.59, 95% CI 1.37 to 9.39, P=0.009). The rate of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage was lower for successful recanalization up to two passes (11.1% vs 18.8%; aOR 0.36, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.69, P=0.002) without any significant differences for a higher number of passes. CONCLUSION: In anterior circulation LIC patients, successful reperfusion, even after six passes, is associated with favorable clinical outcomes with no increased hemorrhagic risk when compared to unsuccessful reperfusion.

Clinical and safety outcomes of acute stenting plus thrombectomy for carotid tandem lesions with large ischemic core.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the clinical and safety outcomes of emergent carotid artery stenting (eCAS) plus endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) among patients with anterior tandem lesion (TL) and large ischemic core (LIC). METHODS: This retrospective study included consecutive stroke patients enrolled in the Endovascular Treatment in Ischemic Stroke Registry in France between January 2015 and June 2023. We compared the outcomes of carotid stenting vs no stenting in tandem lesion with pre-treatment LIC (Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS) 3-5) and stenting in tandem lesion vs thrombectomy alone for isolated intracranial occlusions with pre-treatment LIC. Primary outcome was a score of 0 to 3 on the modified Rankin scale (mRS) at 90 days. Multivariable mixed-effects logistic regression was performed. RESULTS: Among 218 tandem patients with LIC, 55 were treated with eCAS plus EVT. The eCAS group had higher odds of 90-day mRS 0-3 (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) 2.40, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.10 to 5.21; p=0.027). There were no differences in the risk of any intracerebral hemorrhage (OR 1.41, 95% CI 0.69 to 2.86; p=0.346), parenchymal hematoma (aOR 1.216, 95% CI 0.49 to 3.02; p=0.675), symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (aOR 1.45, 95% CI 0.60 to 3.48; p=0.409), or 90-day mortality (aOR 0.74, 95% CI 0.33 to 1.68; p=0.472). eCAS was associated with a higher rate of carotid patency at day 1 (aOR 3.54, 95% CI 1.14 to 11.01; p=0.028). Safety outcomes were similar between EVT+eCAS group in TL-LIC and EVT alone group in isolated intracranial occlusions with LIC. CONCLUSION: eCAS appears to be a safe and effective strategy in patients with TL and LIC volume.

Endovascular vs surgical treatment of sigmoid sinus diverticulum causing pulsatile tinnitus: A systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Sigmoid sinus diverticulum (SSD) has been increasingly reported as a cause of pulsatile tinnitus (PT). While both endovascular and surgical treatments have been used, there is a lack of consensus on the treatment modality to treat SSD. We conducted a systematic review of the available literature to compare the clinical outcomes and safety of endovascular versus surgical approaches for treating SSD. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses to identify studies encompassing the management of SSD. Studies reporting the clinical outcomes and safety of endovascular or surgical treatments for SSD between January 2000 and January 2023 were included. Results were characterized using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Endovascular treatment (EVT) was reported by 17 articles, yielding 26 patients with 27 diverticula. Surgical treatment was reported by 20 articles, yielding 105 patients with 107 diverticula. EVT led to complete or near-complete resolution in all patients with SSD and PT. Complications occurred in 3.7% (1/27) with a return to baseline after 2 months. There were no permanent complications from EVT. Surgical treatment resulted in complete resolution in 77.6% (83/107) of cases, incomplete resolution in 11.2% (12/107), and no resolution in 11.2% (12/107). Significant complications occurred in 9.3% (10/107) of the surgical-treated patients. CONCLUSION: EVT in patients with PT and venous diverticulum appears more effective and safer than surgical treatment, but large studies are lacking. Studies directly comparing endovascular and surgical treatment are needed.

An off-label use of flow-diverter stent as a successful treatment of a postoperative middle cerebral artery pseudoaneurysm.

A pseudoaneurysm or false aneurysm is the result of the disruption of the vessel wall and the formation of a hematoma in communication with the vascular lumen, restrained by perivascular connective tissue. Intracranial pseudoaneurysms represent a rare entity mainly because of trauma, iatrogenic causes, infectious disease, radiation exposure, connective tissue disease and sometimes spontaneous occurrence. We present a 35-year-old female patient with a history of multiple low-grade glioma debulking surgeries. During the last procedure, laceration of the left middle cerebral artery (MCA) occurred with diffuse subarachnoid hemorrhage. Imaging studies showed the formation of a pseudoaneurysm of the left MCA which was successfully treated with the implantation of a flow diverter across the lesion neck and excellent mid- to long- term results. Flow diverter implantation may be a promising technique for the therapeutic management of cerebral pseudoaneurysms.

Acute carotid stenting plus aspirin during thrombectomy of tandem occlusions: A matched case-control study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Acute carotid artery stenting (CAS) for ischemic stroke patients with anterior circulation tandem occlusion requires periprocedural antiplatelet therapy to prevent stent thrombosis. However, due to the lack of randomized trials and inconsistent published results, there is no reliable information regarding the safety of additional antiplatelet treatment. Therefore, we compared the safety and functional outcomes of patients treated with acute CAS plus Aspirin during tandem occlusions thrombectomy with isolated intracranial occlusions patients treated with thrombectomy alone. METHODS: Two prospectively acquired mechanical databases from August 2017 to December 2021 were reviewed. Patients were included if they had carotid atherosclerotic tandem occlusions treated with acute CAS and Aspirin (intravenous bolus 250 mg) during thrombectomy. Any antiplatelet agent was added after thrombectomy and before the 24-h control imaging. This group was compared with a matched group of isolated intracranial occlusions treated with thrombectomy alone. RESULTS: A total of 1557 patients were included and 70 (4.5%) had an atherosclerotic tandem occlusion treated with acute CAS plus Aspirin during thrombectomy. In exact coarse matched weight adjusted analysis, the rate of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage was similar in both groups (OR, 3.06; 95% CI, 0.66-14.04; P = 0.150), parenchymal hematoma type 2 (OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 0.24-5.39; P = 0.856), any intracerebral hemorrhage (OR, 1.84; 95% CI, 0.75-4.53; P = 0.182), and 90-day mortality (OR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.24-2.60; P = 0.708). Rates of early neurological improvement and 90-day modified Rankin Scale score 0-2 were comparable. CONCLUSIONS: Acute CAS plus Aspirin during thrombectomy for tandem occlusion stroke appears safe. Randomized trials are warranted to confirm these findings.

Comparison of three antithrombotic strategies for emergent carotid stenting during stroke thrombectomy: a multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: Periprocedural antithrombotic treatment is a key determinant for the risk-benefit balance of emergent carotid artery stenting (eCAS) during stroke thrombectomy. We aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of three types of antithrombotic treatment. METHODS: Retrospective review of prospectively collected endovascular databases in four comprehensive stroke centers, including consecutive cases of eCAS for tandem lesion strokes between January 2019 and July 2021. During this period, each center prospectively applied one of three periprocedural protocols: (a) two centers administered aspirin (250 mg IV); (b) one center administered aspirin and heparin (bolus+24 hours infusion); and (c) one center applied an aggressive antiplatelet strategy consisting of aspirin and clopidogrel (loading doses), with added intravenous tirofiban if in-stent thrombosis was observed during thrombectomy. Dichotomized comparisons of outcomes were performed between aggressive versus non-aggressive strategy (aspirin±heparin) and aspirin+heparin versus aspirin-alone groups. RESULTS: Among 161 included patients, 62 received aspirin monotherapy, 38 aspirin+heparin, and 61 an aggressive treatment. Aggressive antiplatelet treatment was associated with an increased rate of excellent (modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (mTICI) 2c-3) recanalization and reduced carotid stent thrombosis at day 1 (3.5% vs 16.3%), compared with non-aggressive strategy. There were no significant differences in hemorrhagic transformation or 90-day mortality. There was a tendency towards better clinical outcome with aggressive treatment, without reaching statistical significance. Addition of heparin to aspirin was not associated with an increased rate of carotid stent patency. CONCLUSIONS: Aggressive antiplatelet treatment was associated with improved intracranial recanalization and carotid stent patency, without safety concerns. These findings have implications for randomized trials and may be of utility for clinicians when making antithrombotic treatment choices.

Successful Thrombectomy Improves Functional Outcome in Tandem Occlusions with a Large Ischemic Core.

BACKGROUND: Emergent stenting in tandem occlusions and mechanical thrombectomy (MT) of acute ischemic stroke related to large vessel occlusion (LVO-AIS) with a large core are tested independently. We aim to assess the impact of reperfusion with MT in patients with LVO-AIS with a large core and a tandem occlusion and to compare the safety of reperfusion between large core with tandem and nontandem occlusions in current practice. METHODS: We analyzed data of all consecutive patients included in the prospective Endovascular Treatment in Ischemic Stroke Registry in France between January 2015 and March 2023 who presented with a pretreatment ASPECTS (Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score) of 0-5 and angiographically proven tandem occlusion. The primary end point was a favorable outcome defined by a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 0-3 at 90 days. RESULTS: Among 262 included patients with a tandem occlusion and ASPECTS 0-5, 203 patients (77.5%) had a successful reperfusion (modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction grade 2b-3). Reperfused patients had a favorable shift in the overall mRS score distribution (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.57 [1.22-2.03]; P < 0.001), higher rates of mRS score 0-3 (aOR, 7.03 [2.60-19.01]; P < 0.001) and mRS score 0-2 at 90 days (aOR, 3.85 [1.39-10.68]; P = 0.009) compared with nonreperfused. There was a trend between the occurrence of successful reperfusion and a decreased rate of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (aOR, 0.5 [0.22-1.13]; P = 0.096). Similar safety outcomes were observed after large core reperfusion in tandem and nontandem occlusions. CONCLUSIONS: Successful reperfusion was associated with a higher rate of favorable outcome in large core LVO-AIS with a tandem occlusion, with a safety profile similar to nontandem occlusion.

Endovascular versus Medical Management of Acute Basilar Artery Occlusion: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Randomized Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The optimal management of patients with acute basilar artery occlusion (BAO) is uncertain. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) compared to medical management (MM) for acute BAO through a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). METHODS: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs of patients with acute BAO. We analyzed the pooled effect of EVT compared to MM on the primary outcome (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] of 0-3 at 3 months), secondary outcome (mRS 0-2 at 3 months), symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH), and 3-month mortality rates. For each study, effect sizes were computed as odds ratios (ORs) with random effects and Mantel-Haenszel weighting. RESULTS: Four RCTs met inclusion criteria including 988 patients. There were higher odds of mRS of 0-3 at 90 days in the EVT versus MM group (45.1% vs. 29.1%, OR 1.99, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-3.80; P=0.04). Patients receiving EVT had a higher sICH compared to MM (5.4% vs. 0.8%, OR 7.89, 95% CI 4.10-15.19; P<0.01). Mortality was lower in the EVT group (35.5% vs. 45.1%, OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.42-0.99; P=0.05). In an analysis of two trials with BAO patients and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) <10, there was no difference in 90-day outcomes between EVT versus MM. CONCLUSION: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, EVT was associated with favorable outcome and decreased mortality in patients with BAO up to 24 hours from stroke symptoms compared to MM. The treatment effect in BAO patients with NIHSS <10 was less certain. Further studies are of interest to evaluate the efficacy of EVT in basilar occlusion patients with milder symptoms.

Effect of intravenous thrombolysis before endovascular therapy on outcome according to collateral status: insight from the ETIS Registry.

BACKGROUND: It is unknown whether collateral status modifies the effect of pretreatment intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) on the outcomes of patients with large vessel occlusions treated with endovascular therapy (EVT). We aimed to assess whether collateral status modifies the effect of IVT on the outcomes of EVT in clinical practice. METHODS: We used data from the ongoing prospective multicentric Endovascular Treatment in Ischemic Stroke (ETIS) Registry in France. Patients with anterior circulation proximal large vessel occlusions treated with EVT within 6 hours of symptom onset were enrolled. Patients were divided into two groups based on pretreatment with IVT. The two groups were matched based on baseline characteristics. We tested the interaction between collateral status and IVT in unadjusted and adjusted models. RESULTS: A total of 1589 patients were enrolled in the study, of whom 55% received IVT. Using a propensity score matching method, 724 no IVT patients were matched to 549 IVT patients. In propensity score weighted analysis, IVT was associated with higher odds of early neurological improvement (OR 1.74; 95% CI 1.33 to 2.26), favorable functional outcome (OR 1.66; 95% CI 1.23 to 2.24), excellent functional outcome (OR 2.04; 95% CI 1.47 to 2.83), and successful reperfusion (OR 2.18; 95% CI 1.51 to 3.16). IVT was not associated with mortality or hemorrhagic complications. There was no interaction between collateral status and IVT association with any of the outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Collateral status does not modify the effect of pretreatment IVT on the efficacy and safety outcomes of EVT.