Utility of P2Y12 Reactive Unit Assessment on Ticagrelor in Cerebral Aneurysms Treated with Intracranial Stenting and Flow Diversion: Cohort Study and Case Report From Two Neurovascular Centers.

BACKGROUND: Dual antiplatelet therapy consisting of aspirin and clopidogrel is the standard of care for neurointerventional stenting and flow diversion. Platelet function testing has been increasingly performed to identify patients with a hypo- or hyper-response to clopidogrel. Ticagrelor has been a popular alternative antiplatelet agent for such patients. We assessed the role of platelet function testing in patients receiving ticagrelor and undergoing stenting or flow diversion. METHODS: The data from patients who had undergone stent-assisted coiling or Pipeline flow diversion of a cerebral aneurysm with ticagrelor therapy at any point during their treatment course from May 2017 to August 2019 at a single academic institution in the United States were retrospectively reviewed. Platelet function testing was used to determine the P2Y12 reactive units (PRUs), and the results were correlated with the procedural complications. RESULTS: A total of 28 patients with 29 aneurysms were treated while receiving ticagrelor. Of the 29 aneurysms, 16 (55.2%) were treated with flow diversion and 13 (44.8%) with stent-assisted coiling. Four thromboembolic complications (13.8%) and no hemorrhagic complications developed. Of the 8 patients with ≥1 PRU value >100, 4 (50%) had experienced a thromboembolic complication. The patients without a PRU value >100 did not experience any complications. CONCLUSION: A risk of thromboembolic complications exists for patients receiving ticagrelor, which correlated with the PRUs in the present preliminary study. The findings from the present study suggest that the safe PRU range for patients receiving ticagrelor should be shifted to 0-100, which is lower than that of clopidogrel, thought to be 60-210. Further validation of the optimal PRU range for patients receiving ticagrelor is necessary.

The Utility of a Diagnostic Angiogram Following Mechanical Thrombectomy for Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke.

OBJECTIVE: Digital subtraction angiography is the gold standard for diagnosis of vascular pathology. The value of angiography of non-target vessels following mechanical thrombectomy for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is unknown. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Consecutive patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy for AIS due to large vessel occlusion (LVO) at an academic institution between February 2016 and December 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic information, clinical data, and procedure details were recorded. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the utility of non-target vessel angiography. RESULTS: One hundred and fifty-six patients presenting with AIS due to LVO were treated with 159 mechanical thrombectomy procedures. Median age was 71.5 years. Ninety-one (57.2%) procedures were followed with a diagnostic cerebral angiogram of non-target vessels. Previously unknown findings were identified in 4 (4.4%) procedures. Management change due to the non-target vessel angiogram finding occurred in 3 (3.3%) cases and included one contralateral mechanical thrombectomy. No complications occurred as a result of the non-target vessel angiogram. CONCLUSION: Angiographic imaging of non-target vessels following mechanical thrombectomy identified previously unknown vascular pathology in 4.4% of procedures and resulted in a clinical management change in 3.3% of cases.

Low risk of contralateral lymph node recurrence in lateralized head and neck carcinoma after postoperative ipsilateral radiotherapy.

PURPOSE: The role of postoperative irradiation to contralateral non-involved neck nodes in lateralized carcinoma of the head and neck is not clear. The contralateral neck failure rate in head and neck carcinoma treated postoperatively with ipsilateral neck irradiation only was evaluated. METHODS: Patients with carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, or hypopharynx without midline extension treated between 1990 and 2016 were analyzed. After tumor resection and neck dissection (ND), radiotherapy was given to the primary tumor site and ipsilateral neck. High-risk patients additionally received concurrent chemotherapy. Freedom from contralateral neck recurrence (FCNR), locoregional control rate (LRC), overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival (DFS) were evaluated. RESULTS: 197 patients (median age 60.7 years, 66.5% males, 52.8% oropharyngeal carcinomas) were analyzed. Complete resection (R0) was achieved in 85.8% of cases. Ipsilateral ND was performed in all patients and contralateral ND in 144 patients (73.1%). Concurrent chemotherapy was given to 59 patients (30.0%). After a median follow-up of 45.5 months, OS and DFS of all patients were 73.6% and 70.9% at 5 years, respectively. A total of 45 patients (22.8%) suffered from a locoregional recurrence, lymph node metastases of the contralateral neck developed in 12 patients (6.1%) only. There was no significant difference in contralateral nodal failure rate with or without performance of contralateral ND. CONCLUSION: Regional failure of the contralateral neck was low after surgery and ipsilateral neck irradiation in head and neck carcinomas without midline extension, supporting evidence that contralateral neck radiotherapy can safely be omitted in selected cases.

Utility of platelet function testing in stent-assisted coiling of cerebral aneurysms.

BACKGROUND: Thromboembolic complications are the primary risks of stent-coiling of cerebral aneurysms. The utility of platelet function testing in stent-assisted aneurysm coiling remains controversial. This study aimed to assess a pharmacy-mediated antiplatelet management protocol for stent-assisted coiling. METHODS: Stent-coiled aneurysms at an academic institution in the United States between 2015 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. All patients were managed using a pharmacy-mediated antiplatelet protocol, which required repeated platelet function testing and subsequent dose adjustments. Medication dosage, number of adjustments, aspirin reaction units (ARU) and P2Y12 reaction units (PRU), as well as complication rates, angiographic and functional outcome were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 56 aneurysms (median size 5 mm, range 2.6-14.0 mm) in 54 patients (median age 58.5 years) were treated with stent-assisted coil embolization. Most aneurysms were located at the basilar tip (28.6%). Median pre-procedure ARU and PRU were 442.5 (range 363-594) and 123.5 (range 1-252), respectively. Approximately two-thirds of all procedures required at least one aspirin dose adjustment and 88.5% of procedures required at least one clopidogrel dose adjustment. There were two (3.6%) thromboembolic complications. One of the thromboembolic complications occurred in a patient where the pharmacy-mediated protocol was violated. There were no hemorrhagic complications. Last imaging follow-up demonstrated complete aneurysm occlusion in 83.9%. CONCLUSION: In patients where the pharmacy-mediated antiplatelet protocol was followed, the thromboembolic complication rate was 1.8%. This complication rate compares favorably to those reported in large contemporary series. Nevertheless, the pharmacy-mediated protocol places a significant burden on both the patient and healthcare system.

Predictor of 90-day functional outcome after mechanical thrombectomy for large vessel occlusion stroke: NIHSS score of 10 or less at 24 hours.

OBJECTIVE: Mechanical thrombectomy is the established treatment for acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion (LVO). The authors sought to identify early predictors of a favorable outcome in stroke patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy. METHODS: Consecutive patients with ischemic stroke due to LVO who underwent mechanical thrombectomy at a Comprehensive Stroke Center in the US between 2016 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Demographics, stroke and treatment characteristics, as well as functional outcome at 90 days were collected. Clinical predictors of 90-day functional outcome were assessed and compared to existing indices for prompt neurological improvement. Analyses of area under the receiver operating characteristic curve were performed to estimate the optimal thresholds for absolute 24-hour and delta (change in) National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores for functional outcome prediction. RESULTS: A total of 156 patients (median age 71.5 years) underwent 159 mechanical thrombectomies. The M1 segment of the middle cerebral artery was the most frequent site of occlusion (57.2%). The median NIHSS score before thrombectomy was 18 (IQR 14-24). A postthrombectomy Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction score of 2B or 3 was achieved in 147 procedures (92.4%). The median NIHSS score 24 hours after thrombectomy was 14 (IQR 6-22). Good functional outcome at 90 days (modified Rankin Scale score 0-2) was achieved in 37 thrombectomies (23.9%). An absolute 24-hour NIHSS score ≤ 10 (OR 25.929, 95% CI 8.448-79.582, p < 0.001) and a delta NIHSS score ≥ 8 between baseline and 24 hours (OR 4.929, 95% CI 2.245-10.818, p < 0.001) were associated with good functional outcome at 90 days. The 24-hour NIHSS score cutoff of 10 outperformed existing indices for prompt neurological improvement in the ability to predict 90-day functional outcome. CONCLUSIONS: An NIHSS score ≤ 10 at 24 hours after mechanical thrombectomy was independently associated with good functional outcome at 90 days.