Increased incidence and treatment of intracranial atherosclerotic disease during mechanical thrombectomy is safe, even with an increased number of passes.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD) in acute ischemic stroke treated with mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is not well defined, and its description may lead to improved stroke devices and rates of first pass success. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed on MT patients from 2012 to 2019 at a comprehensive stroke center using chart review and angiogram analysis. Angiograms at the time of MT were reviewed for ICAD, and location and severity were recorded. Patients with ICAD were divided according to ICAD location relative to the large vessel occlusion (LVO) site. Statistical analyses were performed on baseline demographics, comorbidities, MT procedure variables, outcome variables, and their association with ICAD. RESULTS: Of the 533 patients (mean age 70.4 (SD 13.20) years, 43.5% women), 131 (24.6%) had ICAD. There was no significant difference in favorable discharge outcomes (modified Rankin Scale score of 0-2; 23.8% ICAD vs 27.0% non-ICAD; p=0.82) or groin puncture to recanalization times (average 43.5 (range 8-181) min for ICAD vs 40.2 (4-204) min for non-ICAD; p=0.42). Patients with ICAD experienced a significantly higher number of passes (average 1.8 (range 1-7) passes for ICAD vs 1.6 (1-5) passes for non-ICAD; p=0.0059). Adjusting for age, ≥3 device passes, baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, rates of angioplasty only, rates of concurrent angioplasty and stenting, coronary artery disease and atrial fibrillation incidences, and time from emergency department arrival to recanalization, yielded no significant difference in rates of favorable outcomes between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Patients who underwent MT with underlying ICAD had similar rates of favorable outcomes as those without, but required a higher number of device passes.

Utilization of the Ballast Long Guiding Sheath for Neuroendovascular Procedures: Institutional Experience in 68 Cases.

Background: The rise of neurointerventional devices has created a demand for guide systems capable of navigating to the carotid artery consistently regardless of tortuosity. The shift toward large distal access catheters (DACs) and desire for greater trackability have inspired the creation of flexible, supportive, large-lumen long guiding sheaths. Recently, the Ballast long guiding sheath was introduced to provide stability and flexibility while navigating neurointerventional devices through tortuous intracranial anatomy. Objective: To report our experience using the Ballast long guiding sheath in a series of patients undergoing a variety of neuroendovascular procedures. Methods: We retrospectively identified all patients who underwent neuroendovascular treatment with a long guiding sheath were selected from a prospectively maintained endovascular database from January 2019 to November 2019. Baseline clinical characteristics and procedural details were collected. Results: A total of 68 patients were included, mean patient age 67.6 ± 13.6 years. Of the patients treated, 52.9% (36/68) presented with stenosis, 25% (17/68) with aneurysms, 13.2% (9/68) with stroke or emboli, 1.5% (1/68) with a tumor, 1.5% (1/68) with an arteriovenous fistula (AVF), and 4.4% (3/68) with a carotid web. Of the patients with stenosis, 20/36 (55.6%) were extracranial, and 16/36 (44.4%) were intracranial. The Ballast long guiding sheath was used to deliver treatment devices for stenting (37/68, 54.4%), flow diversion (12/68, 17.6%), mechanical thrombectomy (8/68, 11.8%), endovascular coiling (5/68, 7.4%), liquid embolization (3/68, 4.4%), balloon angioplasty (2/68, 2.9%), and balloon angioplasty with stenting (1/68, 1.5%). No Ballast-related complications or adverse events were encountered. Conclusions: We demonstrate the feasibility of the Ballast long guiding sheath to successfully deliver modern neurointerventional treatment devices through tortuous anatomy.