Enhancing the First-Pass Effect in Acute Stroke: The Impact of Stent Retriever Characteristics.

Introduction: Although stentrievers (SRs) have been a mainstay of mechanical thrombectomy (MT), and current guidelines recommend the use of SRs in the treatment of large vessel occlusion stroke (LVO), there is a paucity of studies in the literature comparing SRs directly against each other in terms of mechanical and functional properties. Timely access to endovascular therapy and the ability to restore intracranial flow in a safe, efficient, and efficacious manner have been critical to the success of MT. This study aimed to investigate the impact of contemporary SR characteristics, including model, brand, size, and length, on the first-pass effect (FPE) in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods: Consecutive patients with M1 occlusion treated with a single SR+BGC were recruited from the ROSSETTI registry. The primary outcome was the FPE that was defined as modified (mFPE) or true (tFPE) for the achievement of modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (mTICI) grades 2b-3 or 3 after a single device pass, respectively. We compared patients who achieved mFPE with those who achieved tFPE according to SR characteristics. Results: We included 610 patients (52.3% female and 47.7% male, mean age 75.1 ± 13.62 years). mFPE was achieved in 357 patients (58.5%), whereas tFPE was achieved in 264 (43.3%). There was no significant association between SR characteristics and mFPE or tFPE. Specifically, the SR size did not show a statistically significant relationship with improvement in FPE. Similarly, the length of the SR did not yield significant differences in the mFPE and tFPE, even when the data were grouped. Conclusions: Our data indicate that contemporary SR-mediated thrombectomy characteristics, including model, brand, size, and length, do not significantly affect the FPE.

Safety and Feasibility Assessment of the O-Arm as an Intraoperative Angiography Device in Aneurysm Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the technique and initial experience of using a rotational 3-dimensional (3D) fluoroscopy system (O-arm; Medtronic) as intraoperative angiography (IA) in the surgery of cerebral aneurysms. METHODS: The 3D IA with O-arm (IAWOA) was performed in a consecutive cohort of patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms. Conventional microsurgical clipping was performed with the assistance of indocyanine green videoangiography. Then the O-arm chassis was brought in, the ipsilateral internal carotid artery was catheterized, and contrasted images were acquired. Resulting datasets were exported in Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine and processed using the Osirix software in an accessory computer. The 3D image reconstruction was evaluated intraoperatively to confirm aneurysm occlusion and parent vessel patency. Afterward, agreement among IAWOA, indocyanine green videoangiography, and standard postoperative angiography was analyzed. RESULTS: The initial pilot study was performed in 6 patients with 7 unruptured aneurysms. The aneurysm occlusion rate was 100%. The concordance of the IAWOA and the standard postoperative angiography was complete, both in terms of occlusion and parent vessel patency. No complications derived from the IAWOA were observed except in 1 patient, who presented a retroperitoneal hematoma without clinical consequences. CONCLUSIONS: The 3D rotational fluoroscopy (O-arm) device could be safely and effectively used as an IA system in selected patients. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study reporting its use as an IA device. This technique seems to offer excellent image quality that could be compared with that of the gold standard 3D digital subtraction angiography but with a lower cost and versatility of use for other subspecialties.

Anatomical Variations of Brain Venous Sinuses in Patients with Arteriovenous Malformations: Incidental Finding or Causative Factor?

OBJECTIVE: Acquired anomalies of the dural venous sinuses (DVS) have been correlated extensively with the development of dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs). Despite the known similarities of DAVFs' pathogenesis with that of arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), the relationship of venous sinuses anomalies with AVMs scarcely has been studied. We aimed to investigate whether patients with AVM show a greater prevalence of congenital DVS anomalies. We hypothesized that these congenital anomalies trigger AVM development during early childhood just as acquired DVS anomalies trigger DAVFs formation during adulthood. METHODS: Angiographic anomalies of the brain venous sinuses were studied in a cohort of 45 consecutive patients with AVM and compared with the angiographic; venous sinus anomalies of a control group formed by a second consecutive; series of 45 patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage. RESULTS: Congenital anomalies of any DVS were more frequent in patients with AVM than in the control group (49.8% vs. 22.2%; P = 0.015). Congenital abnormalities of the superior sagittal sinus not only were more frequent in patients with AVM (27% vs. 6.7%; P = 0.021) but seemed also related to the AVM location: in 5 of the 6 AVM cases with unilateral superior sagittal sinus aplasia, the AVM was ipsilateral to the venous anomaly. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with AVM have a greater likelihood of congenital anomalies of any DVS. These anomalies seem to be related also to the AVM location. These findings suggest that congenital anomalies of DVS may be related to the development of AVMs.

Association Between Time to Reperfusion and Outcome Is Primarily Driven by the Time From Imaging to Reperfusion.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: A progressive decline in the odds of favorable outcome as time to reperfusion increases is well known. However, the impact of specific workflow intervals is not clear. METHODS: We studied the mechanical thrombectomy group (n=103) of the prospective, randomized REVASCAT (Randomized Trial of Revascularization With Solitaire FR Device Versus Best Medical Therapy in the Treatment of Acute Stroke due to Anterior Circulation Large Vessel Occlusion Presenting Within Eight Hours of Symptom Onset) trial. We defined 3 workflow metrics: time from symptom onset to reperfusion (OTR), time from symptom onset to computed tomography, and time from computed tomography (CT) to reperfusion. Clinical characteristics, core laboratory-evaluated Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Scores (ASPECTS) and 90-day outcome data were analyzed. The effect of time on favorable outcome (modified Rankin scale, 0-2) was described via adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for every 30-minute delay. RESULTS: Median admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale was 17.0 (14.0-20.0), reperfusion rate was 66%, and rate of favorable outcome was 43.7%. Mean (SD) workflow times were as follows: OTR: 342 (107) minute, onset to CT: 204 (93) minute, and CT to reperfusion: 138 (56) minute. Longer OTR time was associated with a reduced likelihood of good outcome (OR for 30-minute delay, 0.74; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59-0.93). The onset to CT time did not show a significant association with clinical outcome (OR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.67-1.12), whereas the CT to reperfusion interval showed a negative association with favorable outcome (OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.54-0.95). A similar subgroup analysis according to admission ASPECTS showed this relationship for OTR time in ASPECTS<8 patients (OR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.35-0.9) but not in ASPECTS≥8 (OR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.68-1.44). CONCLUSIONS: Time to reperfusion is negatively associated with favorable outcome, being CT to reperfusion, as opposed to onset to CT, the main determinant of this association. In addition, OTR was strongly associated to outcome in patients with low ASPECTS scores but not in patients with high ASPECTS scores. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01692379.