Fusion of magnetic resonance angiography and cisternography in acute ischemic stroke reveals the vessel anatomy ahead of the clot: a technical note to see beyond obstacles.

We describe how the fusion process between magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and cisternography (MRC) promptly reveals vessel anatomy ahead of the clot, in patients affected by acute anterior circulation large vessel occlusion. This technique showed in 100% of subjects (n = 22) a clear tracing of vessel anatomy before and beyond the clot. The duration of the whole process is short and could be considered safe since no outcome differences have been found when compared with a control group (n = 23). This technique could play a relevant role in guiding endovascular therapy, especially in unexpected unfavorable anatomical arteries configurations.

Carotid free-floating thrombus during COVID-19 vaccine era: causality or not?

Carotid free-floating thrombus (FFT) is very rarely diagnosed in patients with acute ischemic stroke. It is a real clinical emergency due to the significant risk of death associated with thromboembolic complications. Herein, we present three patients with ischemic stroke caused by carotid FFT after less than 20 days from administration of mRNA vaccine BNT162b1 (Pfizer/BioNTech) for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-CoronaVirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). To our knowledge, these are the first cases reporting carotid FTT following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.

Intracranial aneurysm management in patients with late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD).

Pompe disease is a rare hereditary metabolic disorder caused by α-glucosidase (GAA) deficiency. The late-onset form of the disease (LOPD) is considered a multisystemic disorder which could involve vascular system with cerebrovascular abnormalities such as intracranial aneurysms or dolichoectasia. Intracranial aneurysm rupture may represent a life-threatening emergency. A possible treatment of unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs) should consider both aneurysm-related (aneurysmal size, shape, localization, numbers and hemodynamic factors) and patient-related risk factors (patient's age and sex, hypertension, smoke exposure). Moreover, UIAs management of LOPD patients needs also to take into account the altered blood vessels integrity and elasticity, whose consistency is likely weakened by the deficient GAA activity as a further potential risk factor. We herein present our approach for of UIAs management in three patients with LOPD. Among them, only one patient with a left saccular UIA of the anterior communicating artery, after careful consideration of risk factors, underwent the endovascular treatment. The other two patients were scheduled for a 1-year follow-up, according to radiological, clinical, and risk evaluation features. Finally, we would like to suggest some general recommendations for UIAs management. In particular, if no risk factors are identified, a cautious yearly follow-up is suggested; otherwise, if risk factors are present, endovascular treatment should be considered.

Neuroform Atlas stent-assisted coiling of ruptured intracranial aneurysms: A multicenter study.

PURPOSE: To assess efficacy, safety and to discuss optimal medical therapy of stent-assisted coiling of ruptured intracranial aneurysms. METHODS: Ruptured intracranial aneurysms treated with stent-assisted coiling in eight different institutions were retrospectively reviewed. Medical treatment regimens varied among the centers, mainly regarding heparin administration and post-procedural single or double antiplatelet therapy. Clinical and angiographic results, including complications and outcomes were analyzed and related to the different therapies. RESULTS: Sixty-one consecutive patients (male/female 23/38), aged 59.1 years (36-86) underwent stent-assisted coiling for ruptured intracranial aneurysm without antiplatelet pre-medication. Intravenous acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) 500mg was administered to all patients immediately after stent deployment. At the same time heparin was given as bolus in 15 patients (24.6%) as part of local protocol. Intravenous glycoprotein 2b/3a inhibitors (antiGP2b3a) were used as bail-out therapy for stent thrombosis. Stent thrombosis occurred in 22 patients (36.1%), of which 4 (6.5%) lead to incomplete and 18 (29.6) to complete occlusion of the stent. Heparin administration had no effect on thrombosis rate. Thrombosis resolution occurred in all cases with intravenous antiGP2b3a (7 tirofiban, 15 abciximab), without increasing overall complication rate. Single antiplatelet therapy with ASA (28 patients, 45.9%) or double antiplatelet therapy including ASA and clopidogrel (33 patients, 54.1%) were administered after procedure, depending on local protocols and on neurointerventionists' experience. Overall complication rate, including ischemia and hemorrhage was higher in patients in which only ASA was administered (21.4% vs. 12.1%). No late stent thrombosis was seen, regardless of whether a single or double antiplatelet regimen was used. Nevertheless, the small sample size suggests caution in interpreting these results. Moreover, a possible bias may arise from the decision whether to modify the maintenance therapy or not depending on the severity of the intracranial hemorrhage in a case-by-case assessment. At three months, 34 out of 38 patients with HH grade 1-2 (89.4%), and 11 out of 23 with Hunt-Hess grade of 3-4 (47.8%) were independent (Modified Ranking Scale 0-2). CONCLUSION: Stent assisted coiling of ruptured intracranial aneurysms is a feasible option when simple coiling is not possible. Optimal medical treatment is still controversial because balance between hemorrhagic and ischemic risks is difficult to evaluate. In our series, heparin bolus had no effect on subsequent stent thrombosis. In all cases peri-operative stent thrombosis was successfully managed using bail-out intravenous antiGP2b3a, which did not increase post-procedural hemorrhage rates. A non-significant trend towards increased complications rate was noticed in patients treated with single antiplatelet therapy versus double antiplatelet therapy.

General Anesthesia Versus Conscious Sedation and Local Anesthesia During Thrombectomy for Acute Ischemic Stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: As numerous questions remain about the best anesthetic strategy during thrombectomy, we assessed functional and radiological outcomes in stroke patients treated with thrombectomy in presence of general anesthesia (GA) versus conscious sedation (CS) and local anesthesia (LA). METHODS: We conducted a cohort study on prospectively collected data from 4429 patients enrolled in the Italian Registry of Endovascular Treatment in Acute Stroke. RESULTS: GA was used in 2013 patients, CS in 1285 patients, and LA in 1131 patients. The rates of 3-month modified Rankin Scale score of 0-1 were 32.7%, 33.7%, and 38.1% in the GA, CS, and LA groups: GA versus CS: odds ratios after adjustment for unbalanced variables (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]), 0.811 (95% CI, 0.602-1.091); and GA versus LA: aOR, 0.714 (95% CI, 0.515-0.990). The rates of modified Rankin Scale score of 0-2 were 42.5%, 46.6%, and 52.4% in the GA, CS, and LA groups: GA versus CS: aOR, 0.902 (95% CI, 0.689-1.180); and GA versus LA: aOR, 0.769 (95% CI, 0.566-0.998). The rates of 3-month death were 21.5%, 19.7%, and 14.8% in the GA, CS, and LA groups: GA versus CS: aOR, 0.872 (95% CI, 0.644-1.181); and GA versus LA: aOR, 1.235 (95% CI, 0.844-1.807). The rates of parenchymal hematoma were 9%, 12.6%, and 11.3% in the GA, CS, and LA groups: GA versus CS: aOR, 0.380 (95% CI, 0.262-0.551); and GA versus LA: aOR, 0.532 (95% CI, 0.337-0.838). After model of adjustment for predefined variables (age, sex, thrombolysis, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, onset-to-groin time, anterior large vessel occlusion, procedure time, prestroke modified Rankin Scale score of <1, antiplatelet, and anticoagulant), differences were found also between GA versus CS as regards modified Rankin Scale score of 0-2 (aOR, 0.659 [95% CI, 0.538-0.807]) and GA versus LA as regards death (aOR, 1.413 [95% CI, 1.095-1.823]). CONCLUSIONS: GA during thrombectomy was associated with worse 3-month functional outcomes, especially when compared with LA. The inclusion of an LA arm in future randomized clinical trials of anesthesia strategy is recommended.

Efficacy of ADAPT with large-bore reperfusion catheter in anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke: a multicentric Italian experience.

INTRODUCTION: A direct aspiration first pass technique (ADAPT) is an alternative technique as first-line thrombectomy for large vessel occlusion in acute ischemic stroke, still debated when compared to first-line stent retriever. To retrospectively evaluate technical and clinical outcomes of the ADAPT as first-line treatment for anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke with large-bore reperfusion catheters. METHODS: A multicentric data collection from 14 medical centers was retrospectively analyzed. Large-bore catheters had a distal diameter between 0.64 and 0.71 in; stent retriever was added when aspiration alone failed. Baseline characteristics, technical and clinical variables were collected, including NIHSS, thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (TICI), peri-procedural complications, 90-day mRS and 90-day mortality. RESULTS: Overall, 501 patients were treated. No statistically significant difference in terms of baseline features or tPA administration was recorded between patients treated with ADAPT and with additional stent retriever. ADAPT alone was successful in achieving TICI ≥ 2b in 71.8% with a median of 1.55 aspiration attempts. In terms of TICI ≥ 2b, ADAPT alone was better than additional stent retriever (p < 0.001), while no statistical difference was achieved from catheter diameter. Embolization to a new territory was less frequent in ADAPT group (5.2 vs 18%; p = 0.0026). Patients treated with ADAPT alone had better clinical outcomes in terms of mRS ≤ 2 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: ADAPT is a valid technique with respect to the rates of TICI 2b/3 recanalization and 90-day mRS scores. In this series, an attempt at recanalization with ADAPT with larger-bore reperfusion catheter may be warranted prior to stentriever thrombectomy.

Multicentric Experience with an Intermediate Aspiration Catheter for Distal M2 Ischemic Stroke.

BACKGROUND: To assess technical and clinical outcomes of an intermediate bore aspiration catheter (AXS Catalyst 5; Stryker) as front-line therapy for M2-M3 acute occlusions. METHODS: A multicentric, retrospective data collection of patients with symptomatic M2-M3 ischemic stroke, treated with direct aspiration first-pass technique was obtained. Time to recanalization, first attempt recanalization, and number of attempts were recorded. Successful recanalization was defined as a modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction score ≥2b; incidence of procedure-related complications was recorded. National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale at discharge and modified Rankin Scale score at 90 days were evaluated by a dedicated neurologist. RESULTS: A total of 44 acute occlusions of distal M2-M3 segment were treated with a direct aspiration first-pass technique using CAT 5 (mean age 68,4 years). Median NIHSS at baseline was 10. Overall modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction score ≥2b was obtained in 90,9% of patients with mean time to recanalization of 49,7 minutes and a mean of 1.6 attempts. First-attempt recanalization with CAT 5 was obtained in 52,3% of patients with a mean time to recanalization of 29.2 min. A stent retriever with proximal aspiration was incorporated as a rescue device in 3 cases. No major complications was detected. The median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score at discharge was 4. At 90 days, a modified Rankin Scale score of 0-2 was achieved in 70,5% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: ADAPT technique with the intermediate aspiration catheter CAT 5 system achieves successful revascularization and functional independence for patients with acute ischemic stroke secondary to distal M2 occlusions.

The low-profile Neuroform Atlas stent in the treatment of wide-necked intracranial aneurysms - immediate and midterm results: An Italian multicenter registry.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Wide-necked brain aneurysms therapy remains a challenge for neurointerventionalists, mainly for the high recurrence rate. Low-profile stents make feasible the treatment of these aneurysms. In our multicenter series we analyzed clinical and angiographic results of Neuroform Atlas stent-assisted coiling. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2016 to March 2017, 113 wide-necked aneurysms were discovered with CTA, MRA and DSA. The Atlas stent-assisted coiling procedures were performed under general anesthesia with sequential or jailing techniques. Six months follow-up DSA was performed to assess the recurrence rate through the modified Raymond-Roy occlusion scale (RROC). Moreover, patients were evaluated clinically to analyse the degree of disability according to the mRS. MRI was performed at 12 months evaluating both the cerebral tissue and the vessels. RESULTS: In all the procedures it was feasible to navigate the Neuroform Atlas to the goal vessel and deploy the stent across the aneurysmal neck. Intra-procedural complications account for the 6.2% (7/113). The immediate occlusion rate was RROC 1 in 88%, 2 in 9% and 3 in 3% of cases. The 6 months clinical data showed mRS Score 0-1 in 96.5% of patients; 3 patients died of complications related to SAH. The 12 months follow-up showed RROC of 1 in 82%, 2 in 13% and 3 in 5% of cases. No aneurysm has been retreated. CONCLUSIONS: In our multicenter experience the Neuroform Atlas stent assisted-coiling has shown to be a safe and effective technique for the treatment of wide-necked intracranial aneurysms with encouraging clinical and angiographic results.

IER-SICH Nomogram to Predict Symptomatic Intracerebral Hemorrhage After Thrombectomy for Stroke.

Background and Purpose- As a reliable scoring system to detect the risk of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage after thrombectomy for ischemic stroke is not yet available, we developed a nomogram for predicting symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage in patients with large vessel occlusion in the anterior circulation who received bridging of thrombectomy with intravenous thrombolysis (training set), and to validate the model by using a cohort of patients treated with direct thrombectomy (test set). Methods- We conducted a cohort study on prospectively collected data from 3714 patients enrolled in the IER (Italian Registry of Endovascular Stroke Treatment in Acute Stroke). Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage was defined as any type of intracerebral hemorrhage with increase of ≥4 National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score points from baseline ≤24 hours or death. Based on multivariate logistic models, the nomogram was generated. We assessed the discriminative performance by using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Results- National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, onset-to-end procedure time, age, unsuccessful recanalization, and Careggi collateral score composed the IER-SICH nomogram. After removing Careggi collateral score from the first model, a second model including Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score was developed. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the IER-SICH nomogram was 0.778 in the training set (n=492) and 0.709 in the test set (n=399). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the second model was 0.733 in the training set (n=988) and 0.685 in the test set (n=779). Conclusions- The IER-SICH nomogram is the first model developed and validated for predicting symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage after thrombectomy. It may provide indications on early identification of patients for more or less postprocedural intensive management.

MRI patient selection for endovascular thrombectomy in acute ischemic stroke: correlation between pretreatment diffusion weighted imaging and outcome scores.

INTRODUCTION: Eligibility for endovascular treatment (EVT) in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) depends, amongst other factors, on CT- or MR-based scores. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of Alberta Stroke Program Early CT score based on diffusion weighted imaging (MR-ASPECT) in the assessment of brain damage pre-EVT, patient selection for EVT and outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included in this study patients with National Institute of Health stroke score (NIHSS) at admission ≥ 8, MR-ASPECT ≥ 5 and anterior AIS, who were treated with EVT in our hospital. All patients were clinically evaluated at admission, post-EVT, discharge and at 3-month follow-up. We used MR-ASPECT to establish infarct core extension at admission. We evaluated ASPECT score at admission (CT-ASPECT-IN), 24 h after EVT and at discharge, NIHSS, modified Ranking Scale (mRS), Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction scale (TICI), onset-to-intervention-delay (OTID) and Collateral Circulation Score (CCS). RESULTS: 68 patients (mean age 78 ± 11.9 years) were included in this study. 54.4 and 64.7% of patients had strong clinical improvement after 24 h from EVT and at discharge, respectively. NIHSS evaluated 24 h after EVT correlated with CCS, TICI and OTID. We observed a favourable outcome (mRS 0-2) in 52.9% of patients at 3-month follow-up. MR-ASPECT score correlated with post-EVT outcome better than CT-ASPECT-IN scores. CONCLUSION: MR-ASPECT score based on diffusion weighted imaging is useful for the selection of patients with AIS that can have a favourable outcome from EVT. A prompt EVT has huge impact on patient outcome.

Comparison between second generation HydroSoft coils and bare platinum coils for the treatment of large intracranial aneurysms.

BACKGROUND: The development of HydroSoft coils (HSC) aims to reduce the high recurrence and retreatment rates observed in large brain aneurysms by improving primary brain aneurysm filling and thus occlusion efficacy. We compared clinical and angiographic effectiveness of bare platinum coils (BPC) versus second generation HSC for large intracranial aneurysms at our center. METHODS: We included 61 large aneurysms between 2015 and 2018, 29 embolized primarily using HSC and 32 treated with BPC. The aneurysm occlusion rates were assessed after 3 and 12 months with an MRI scan and at 6 moths with a control digital subtraction angiography (DSA) using the Raymond-Roy occlusion classification (RROC). Clinical outcomes were evaluated using the modified ranking scale (mRS). RESULTS: The observed immediate occlusion rate was slightly better in the BPC group, however, this group had a significant increase of progressive reperfusion at all imaging follow-up. Contrarily, the rate of complete occlusion increased significantly in the HSC group, starting from the 6 and 12-months follow-up. 7 aneurysms (11.4%) were re-treated (15.6% BPC and 6.9% HSC). The 6 and 12-months clinical data showed mRS score 0-1 in 96.7% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: In our single-center experience, the second generation HydroSoft coils were shown to be safe and effective for endovascular treatment of large intracranial aneurysms with encouraging clinical and angiographic results, also for ruptured aneurysms. Even if the validity is limited due to our small cohort size, HSC showed a significantly lower rate of recurrence at mid-term follow-up when compared to BPC.

Flow Diverting Stents in Cerebral Small Caliber Vessels (< 2 mm) for Aneurysm Treatment : A Three Center Retrospective Study.

PURPOSE: The off-label use of flow diverting stents (FDS) for treating cerebral aneurysms in small distal vessels is increasing in clinical practice with encouraging results; however, data directly addressing the parent vessel size are still scarce. Our aim was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of FDS placement in anterior and posterior circulation aneurysms with parent arteries ≤ 2 mm in a real-world representative setting. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed patients treated with FDS at the three participating university hospitals between 2009 and 2021. The inclusion criteria were the placement of at least one FDS in a parent vessel with a maximum diameter of 2 mm or less. The primary clinical safety endpoint was the absence of death, major or minor symptomatic stroke, transient ischemic attack and procedure-related intracranial hemorrhage. Clinical outcome was assessed using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at the follow-up visit at 1 year. The primary efficacy endpoint was defined as complete and near-complete occlusion at the 1­year follow-up. RESULTS: We identified 55 patients harboring 56 aneurysms. The primary clinical safety endpoint was obtained in 93% of cases. The hemorrhagic and thromboembolic complication rates were 4% and 9%, respectively. No patient died or had a relevant discrepancy (> 1 point) at the pre-mRS and post-mRS. The primary efficacy endpoint was reached in 80% of cases. CONCLUSION: The use of FDS in vessels < 2 mm is technically feasible with good aneurysm occlusion rates and an acceptable safety profile. Nevertheless, it is essential to be aware of the of the main complications associated when operating in small diameter vessels.

The Telltale Botox: Botulinum Toxin Injection by an Expert Hand as an Intracranial Aneurysm Detector.

Complications in aesthetic medicine can be considered a consequence of the inexperience of the performing physician, but in some cases, they can unveil far more serious conditions, hitherto silent. We present a case of a 48-year-old patient who, following botulinum toxin type A (Botox) injection for treatment of forehead wrinkles, returned to our attention 12 days later for a discrete, newly onset right eyelid ptosis. This ptosis was a telltale sign of the presence of an intracranial aneurysm closely related with the oculomotor nerve. The lack of compensatory action by the frontalis muscle in maintaining the eyelid in position allowed us to highlight the extrinsic compression deficit of the oculomotor nerve. Subsequently, the patient underwent endovascular treatment of the aneurysm, leading to complete resolution of the case.

Carotid artery stenting during endovascular thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke with tandem occlusion: the Italian Registry of Endovascular Treatment in Acute Stroke.

PURPOSE: The management of tandem extracranial internal carotid artery and intracranial large vessel occlusion during endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) has been under-investigated. We sought to investigate outcomes of AIS patients with tandem occlusion (TO) treated with carotid artery stenting (CAS) compared to those not treated with CAS (no-CAS) during EVT. METHODS: We performed a cohort study using data from AIS patients enrolled in the Italian Registry of Endovascular Treatment in Acute Stroke. Outcomes were 3 months' mortality, functional outcome, complete and successful recanalization, any intracranial hemorrhage, parenchymal hematoma and symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage. RESULTS: Among 466 AIS patients with TO, CAS patients were 122 and no-CAS patients were 226 (118 excluded). After adjustment for unbalanced variables, CAS was associated with a lower rate of 3 months' mortality (OR 0.407, 95% CI 0.171-0.969, p = 0.042). After adjustment for pre-defined variables, CAS was associated with a lower rate of 3 months' mortality (aOR 0.430, 95% CI 0.187-0.989, p = 0.047) and a higher rate of complete recanalization (aOR 1.986, 95% CI 1.121-3.518, p = 0.019), successful recanalization (aOR 2.433, 95% CI 1.263-4.686, p = 0.008) and parenchymal hematoma (aOR 2.876, 95% CI 1.173-7.050, p = 0.021). CAS was associated with lower 3 months mortality (OR 0.373, 95% CI 0.141-0.982, p = 0.046) and higher rates of successful recanalization (OR 2.082, 95% CI 1.099-3.942, p = 0.024) after adjustment for variables associated with 3 months' mortality and successful recanalization, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Among AIS patients with TO, CAS during EVT was associated with a higher rate of successful reperfusion and a lower rate of 3 months' mortality.

Moyamoya Vasculopathy: Cause, Clinical Manifestations, Neuroradiologic Features, and Surgical Management.

In moyamoya disease, the progressive occlusion of the distal portion of the internal carotid artery and its major branches is typically responsible for the formation of an extensive network of collateral vessels at the base of the brain. When moyamoya collateral network develops in association with various systemic or acquired diseases, the term moyamoya syndrome is used to denote this phenomenon. Sudden changes in the supraclinoid internal carotid artery and middle cerebral artery can be recognized with noninvasive neurovascular imaging techniques, which also allow a differential diagnosis with similar diseases such as degenerative steno-occlusive disease, cerebral vasculitis, and twig-like middle cerebral artery. Once the diagnosis is established, the definitive treatment for moyamoya disease is surgical revascularization, with the goal of increasing cerebral blood flow and preventing recurrent stroke. We provide a comprehensive review of the clinical and radiologic features in moyamoya vasculopathy along with its surgical management.

Repeated reperfusion treatment in recurrent ischemic stroke: A retrospective single-center case series.

Data regarding repeated reperfusion therapy (rRT) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS), including intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular treatment (EVT), are quite poor. To date, there are only few case reports and five larger studies on repeated EVT. We aimed to report our single-center experience and describe different clinical scenarios of recurrent AIS with emergent large vessel occlusion (LVO), for which the decision-making process could be challenging in the emergency setting. We retrospectively reviewed 765 consecutive AIS patients with LVO, who underwent reperfusion procedures at our comprehensive stroke center, from 2014 to 2020, and identified rRT patients. We identified and reviewed the medical records of eight patients (1.05%), who repeated reperfusive treatment for recurrent stroke within 30 days (early arterial reocclusion, EAR) and after 30 days (late arterial reocclusion, LAR). We assigned collected data to three clinical scenarios, each divided into EAR and LAR cases. All patients had recurrent emergent LVO in the same vessel territory previously affected, both in EAR and LAR patients. A good clinical outcome has been achieved in EAR patients (modified Rankin Score ≤ 2). Artery-to-artery embolic mechanism was more common in the EAR group, while LAR was more frequently associated with cardioembolic source. RRT appears to be an effective treatment option for recurrent LVO, and it should not be withheld in carefully selected patients. EVT should be considered, including aspiration-only and stenting procedures in patients with AIS and recurrent LVO after previous reperfusive treatments, even after a very short time.

Safety and effect of Neuroform Atlas stent in the treatment of symptomatic intracranial stenosis: A single-center experience.

BACKGROUND: Vascular intracranial stenosis (IS) is a significant cause of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). This single-center study aims to show that symptomatic IS treatment by using the Neuroform Atlas stent (Stryker neurovascular, Kalamazoo, MI, USA) could be effective in reducing vessel stenosis. METHODS: Ten patients affected by AIS or TIA, in the vascular territory of high-grade intracranial atherosclerotic lesions (>70% of vessel stenosis), older than 18-year-old, were treated by implanting a Neuroform Atlas stent (diameter of 4.5mm in 80% and 4mm in 20%). 70% of the patients underwent pre-stenting intracranial angioplasty. RESULTS: Patients were between 54.8 and 83 years old (mean 68.46y ± 8.44y), 70% males and 30% females. At admission, 50% of all patients had an AIS and 50% a TIA. Restoration of the stenotic lumen was obtained after the endovascular procedure. The percentage mean of vascular stenosis was 83.7% ± 6.09% before treatment (t0), 52.2% ± 10.42% at the end of treatment (t1) and 46.2% ± 8.28% at the follow-up (t2). The IS percentage mean reduction between t0 and t1 was 31.5% ± 7.31%, and between t1 and t2 was 6% ± 5.47%, t0 and t2 of 37.5% ± 7.38%. Percentage reduction of IS was highly significant between time t0 and t1 (p = 0.005), and t0 and t2 (p = 0.005), also with a significant reduction between t1 and t2 (p = 0.012). No patient had experienced an increase of the ischemic area in the vascular territory of the target vessel at 3 months from the initial assessment. 10% of patients experienced a 3-months negative outcome (mRS = 5), 90% experienced a favorable outcome (mRS ≤2). CONCLUSIONS: Intracranial stenosis endovascular treatment with Neuroform Atlas stent provides encouraging results, with a statistically significant association between the vascular caliber improvement and the endovascular treatment.

Cerebellar stroke in elderly patient with basilar artery agenesia: a case report.

We report a case of a 76-year-old woman admitted to our institution with sudden onset of dizziness and vertigo followed by vomiting and blurred vision. Her medical history was remarkable for hypertension, diabetes, and ischemic stroke in the territory of the left cerebral median artery. Her symptoms were suggestive of a cerebellar stroke. Computed tomography brain scan and neck vessel ultrasounds produced normal findings. A 24-hour blood pressure monitoring showed a reverse dipping pattern. Magnetic resonance imaging examination was performed, showing a hyperintense ischemic focus involving pons and left middle cerebellar peduncle, on T2-weighted images. On Time-of-flight (TOF)-3-dimensional magnetic resonance angiography, there was a marked reduction of basilar artery signal. The digital subtraction angiography showed a vertebrobasilar system anomaly. The right vertebral artery was hypoplastic with few thin terminal spinal branches. The left vertebral artery was vicarious to the right one in intracranial tract. V3 to V4 tract showed multiple atherosclerotic wall irregularities. The basilar common trunk was absent. An abnormal posterior inferior cerebellar artery replaced the anterior inferior cerebellar artery and superior cerebellar artery. Right posterior inferior cerebellar artery, anterior inferior cerebellar artery, and superior cerebellar artery arose from ipsilateral V4 tract. This case is the first description of pure basilar agenesia. The symptoms might be related to temporary decrement of the flow in the left vertebral artery. Furthermore, the reverse dipping pattern together with the aging, hypertension, and diabetes had probably contributed to a hemodynamic malfunction of the cerebral vascular system.

Flow diverting devices in acute ruptured blood blister aneurysms: a three centric retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Blood blister aneurysms (BBAs) are a rare tiny subset of intracranial aneurysms, located at the nonbranching site of an artery, representing a therapeutic challenge from both surgical and endovascular approach. Flow-diverting efficacy, by preserving flow through the parent artery, was approved for its use in unruptured cerebral aneurysms, but no consensus was reached on its use for BBAs ruptured in the acute setting. We report a multicenter experience of use of flow diversion in acute setting of ruptured BBA, to analyze the safety and efficacy of these devices. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of 6 consecutive intracranial BBAs treated with flow diverter devices (FDD) between 2018 and 2020 at 3 italian institutions. Materials, therapy used, complications, clinical and radiographic outcomes were reviewed. RESULTS: We used different FDD, in all cases immediate change in contrast opacification at the end of the procedure was reported. Intraprocedural IIb/IIIa inhibitor agent was the major antiplatelet protocol administered. Any complications occurred. All patients showed complete BBA obliteration at 3 months follow-up. 5/6 patients achieved good clinical outcome (0-2 mRS) at 3 months, all of which were presented with low grade SAH (Hunt Hess I-III) and a lower Fisher grade. CONCLUSION: Our data support this endovascular technique as a safe and effective therapeutic modality for this pathology in the acute setting.

IER-START nomogram for prediction of three-month unfavorable outcome after thrombectomy for stroke.

BACKGROUND: The applicability of the current models for predicting functional outcome after thrombectomy in strokes with large vessel occlusion (LVO) is affected by a moderate predictive performance. AIMS: We aimed to develop and validate a nomogram with pre- and post-treatment factors for prediction of the probability of unfavorable outcome in patients with anterior and posterior LVO who received bridging therapy or direct thrombectomy <6 h of stroke onset. METHODS: We conducted a cohort study on patients data collected prospectively in the Italian Endovascular Registry (IER). Unfavorable outcome was defined as three-month modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score 3-6. Six predictors, including NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, age, pre-stroke mRS score, bridging therapy or direct thrombectomy, grade of recanalization according to the thrombolysis in cerebral ischemia (TICI) grading system, and onset-to-end procedure time were identified a priori by three stroke experts. To generate the IER-START, the pre-established predictors were entered into a logistic regression model. The discriminative performance of the model was assessed by using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC). RESULTS: A total of 1802 patients with complete data for generating the IER-START was randomly dichotomized into training (n = 1219) and test (n = 583) sets. The AUC-ROC of IER-START was 0.838 (95% confidence interval [CI]): 0.816-0.869) in the training set, and 0.820 (95% CI: 0.786-0.854) in the test set. CONCLUSIONS: The IER-START nomogram is the first prognostic model developed and validated in the largest population of stroke patients currently candidates to thrombectomy which reliably calculates the probability of three-month unfavorable outcome.