Mechanical thrombectomy with the Penumbra recanalization device in acute ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the clinical outcome of patients treated with the Penumbra system (PS) for acute ischemic stroke. A retrospective, monocentric matched-pair analysis in comparison with patients treated by intraarterial thrombolysis (IAT) with alteplase was designed for this purpose. METHODS: Twenty-two consecutive patients, (mean age 62), with acute ischemic stroke and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores ≥ 7 were treated with the PS. Twenty corresponding patients could be identified, treated with IAT. Matches were sought for initial NIHSS score and target vessels. Thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) grades, mortality rates, NIHSS upon discharge, and modified Rankin scores (mRs) at 90 days were compared. RESULTS: A total of 32 vessels in 20 patients were treated in either arm of the study. Recanalization to TIMI 2/3 was successful in 25/32 (78%) of target vessels with the PS, and 17/32 (53%) of target vessels in the IAT group. Upon discharge, 2/20 patients treated with PS and 7/20 patients treated with IAT had a NIHSS score of 0 to 1 or an improvement greater or equal to 10-point on the NIHSS scale. All cause mortality at 90 days was 3/20 patients treated with PS, and 2/20 patients treated with IAT. Three out of twenty patients treated with PS and 7/20 patients treated with IAT had a mRS of ≤ 2 at 90 days. CONCLUSION: The Penumbra system is effective in re-opening occluded major arteries. Our data seems to indicate that not all patients benefit clinically from improved revascularization of occluded major arteries.

Interobserver Agreement in Scoring Angiographic Results of Basilar Artery Occlusion Stroke Therapy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The modified TICI Infarction grading system is a metric currently used to evaluate angiographic results of thrombectomy for large-vessel occlusion in ischemic stroke. Originally designed for evaluating MCA territories, it is currently used for other vessel occlusions, including the posterior circulation. We postulate that the modified TICI use for the posterior circulation is not accurate due to the different vascular territories supplied by vertebrobasilar vasculature, making grading more complex. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We collected angiographic results from 30 patients who presented with acute posterior circulation occlusions between 2015 and 2018 and underwent thrombectomy in our institution. Eight observers were asked to evaluate the TICI scores before and after thrombectomy. The multirater statistics were computed using Fleiss κ analysis. Further data were collected regarding the potential brain territories at risk and the existence of atherosclerotic disease in the basilar artery. RESULTS: The overall agreement κ reached 0.277 (SD, 0.013), which suggests a "fair" agreement among the raters. On average, 45% of observers achieved a high accuracy in predicting brain areas at risk of ischemia. As for the existence of basilar atherosclerotic disease, a high agreement (defined as at least 5 of 6 observers) was seen in 20 of the 30 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Despite TICI being ubiquitous in stroke diagnostics, the high variability of posterior circulation TICI scores calls into question its use in these strokes. Other methods should be developed to assess recanalization in the posterior circulation.

Spontaneous thrombosis of a recurrent clipped intracranial aneurysm.

Spontaneous thrombosis of an intracranial aneurysm is a rare event. It is predominantly observed with aneurysms that are large and have relatively narrow necks. We report here a case of a 48-year-old woman presenting with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) due to rupture of a 2-mm aneurysm of the anterior cerebral artery treated by microsurgical clipping. Six months after treatment of the aneurysm, the patient presented with severe headache. SAH was excluded, but computed tomographic angiography (CTA) revealed the recurrence of a large aneurysm (7 mm) that was confirmed by cerebral angiography (DSA). Endovascular treatment was scheduled for several days later, but DSA also revealed spontaneous occlusion of the recurrent aneurysm. On the control CTA performed one week later, the recurrent aneurysm had again reappeared, again confirmed by DSA, and was subsequently treated by coil embolization.

[Imaging of subarachnoid hemorrhage]. / Imagerie de l'hémorragie sous-arachnoïdienne.

Even if acute subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) accounts for only 5% of strokes, its diagnosis is very important because its clinical consequences can be tragic. Recent technological advances in medical imaging have improved diagnostic and therapeutic management of patients with SAH. Nonenhanced CT of the head is the initial imaging modality in suspected SAH for the detection of ruptured intracranial aneurysms. Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) remains the reference exam. Multidetector row CT angiography may potentially replace DSA in the emergency setting, as it provides image data that allows evaluating aneurysmal morphology, the neck size or the visualization of vessels in the vicinity of the aneurysm. For SAH unrelated to aneurysm rupture (15% of cases), MRI and MRA can be added to the diagnostic work-up in order to exclude other differential diagnoses such as venous thrombosis or angiitis. Finally, transcranial color-coded duplex sonography, CT, or MRI are used in clinical practice in order to detect aggravating factors of SAH like hydrocephalus or vasospasm.

Treatment decision in ruptured intracranial aneurysms: comparison between multi-detector row CT angiography and digital subtraction angiography.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of multi-detector row computed tomography angiography (CTA) for the triage of patients with acutely ruptured aneurysms, and to assess how therapeutic decisions based on this method compared with digital subtraction angiography (DSA). METHODS: Twenty-seven consecutive patients with acute subarachnoid hemorrhage were included, and underwent both CTA and DSA. CTA was performed on a 16-detector row CT scanner with a 0.75-mm collimation and a 0.558-beam pitch. Two readers reviewed the CTA data, and two different readers reviewed the DSA data. Aneurysm characteristics were recorded and treatment by surgical clipping or endovascular coil embolization was proposed. RESULTS: A total of 24 aneurysms were identified on DSA in 21 patients. Sensitivity and specificity for CTA were 100% and 83%, respectively, on a per-aneurysm-basis. The correlation between DSA and CTA for the determination of sac and neck sizes was very good (r=0.92, and r=0.95, respectively, P<0.0001). Sensitivity and specificity for the detection of arterial branches incorporated into the aneurysmal sac or neck were 50% and 100%, respectively. In three aneurysms, readers judged CTA inappropriate for triage, because peri-aneurysmal branches were not properly visualized. Overall agreement between CTA and DSA regarding the therapeutic decision between surgical clipping and endovascular coil embolization in 24 aneurysms was good (kappa=0.76). CONCLUSION: Multi-detector row CTA provides accurate anatomic information for aneurysm location as well as sac and neck sizes; however, the technique appears to have a low sensitivity in detecting branches incorporated into the aneurysmal sac.

Surpass Flow Diverter for Treatment of Posterior Circulation Aneurysms.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Flow diverters for the treatment of posterior circulation aneurysms remain controversial. We aimed to identify factors contributing to outcome measures in patients treated with the Surpass flow diverter for aneurysms in this location. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted an observational study of 53 patients who underwent flow-diverter treatment for posterior circulation aneurysms at 15 centers. Key outcome measures were mortality, complete aneurysm occlusion, and modified Rankin Scale score at follow-up. RESULTS: At follow-up (median, 11.3 months; interquartile range, 5.9-12.7 months), 9 patients had died, resulting in an all-cause mortality rate of 17.3% (95% CI, 7%-27.6%); 7 deaths (14%) were directly related to the procedure and none occurred in patients with a baseline mRS score of zero. After adjusting for covariates, a baseline mRS of 3-5 was more significantly (P = .003) associated with a higher hazard ratio for death than a baseline mRS of 0-2 (hazard ratio, 17.11; 95% CI, 2.69-109.02). After adjusting for follow-up duration, a 1-point increase in the baseline mRS was significantly (P < .001) associated with higher values of mRS at follow-up (odds ratio, 2.93; 95% CI, 1.79-4.79). Follow-up angiography in 44 patients (median, 11.3 months; interquartile range, 5.9-12.7 months) showed complete aneurysm occlusion in 29 (66%; 95% CI, 50.1%-79.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical results of flow-diverter treatment of posterior circulation aneurysms depend very much on patient selection. In this study, poorer outcomes were related to the treatment of aneurysms in patients with higher baseline mRS scores. Angiographic results showed a high occlusion rate for this subset of complex aneurysms.

The role of spiral CT for the assessment of the intracranial circulation in suspected brain-death.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the role of spiral CT for the diagnosis of brain death. METHODS: Over a 12-month period, 15 patients that fulfilled the clinical criteria of brain death were referred from the intensive care unit to evaluate remaining intracranial blood flow by spiral CT. The clinical diagnosis was confirmed by an apnea test in all cases. Two phases of spiral CT were performed at 20 and 60 seconds after the start of contrast media injection. Qualitative analysis included the evaluation of vessel opacification (arteries and veins) by two radiologists in consensus. RESULTS: The cortical segments of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) were assessable in all patients, whereas the internal cerebral veins could not be evaluated in five patients due to artifacts or intracranial hemorrhage. Opacification of the major branches of the circle of Willis was observed in seven cases. Unilateral opacification of cortical branches of the MCA occurred in one. We did not observe bilateral enhancement of cortical MCA branches. The internal cerebral veins did not enhance in brain death. CONCLUSION: The absence of internal cerebral vein opacification and the absence of bilateral enhancement of cortical MCA branches constituted the best criteria of brain death by contrast enhanced spiral CT.