Comparison of Clinical and Radiological Outcomes Between Different (Balloon) Guide Catheter With and Without Inflated Balloon in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients: A MaSQ-Registry Study.

PURPOSE: Balloon guide catheters (BGCs) are used in endovascular treatment (EVT) for ischemic stroke. Previous literature did not distinguish between BGC use with and without inflated balloon. This study aims to compare outcomes between non-BCG and BGC use with and without inflated balloon during EVT. METHODS: Patients who underwent EVT for anterior circulation ischemic stroke between September 2020 and February 2023 were analyzed. Patients were divided into three groups: non-BGC, BGC with inflated balloon, or BGC without inflated balloon. The primary outcome was the ordinal modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 90-day follow-up. Secondary outcomes included expanded Thrombolysis In Cerebral Ischemia score (eTICI) and periprocedural complications. Regression analyses with BGC with inflated balloon as comparator were performed with adjustments. Subgroup analyses were conducted based on first-line thrombectomy technique. RESULTS: Out of 511 patients, 428 patients were included. Compared to BCG with inflated balloon, the mRS at 90 days did not differ in the group without inflated balloon (adjusted common [ac]OR: 1.07, 95%CI 0.67-1.73) or non-BGC (acOR: 1.42, 95%CI 0.83-2.42). Compared to patients treated with a BGC with inflated balloon, those treated with BGC without inflated balloon had lower eTICI scores (acOR: 0.59, 95%CI 0.37-0.94), and patients treated with non-BGC had lower chances of periprocedural complications (aOR: 0.41, 95%CI 0.20-0.86). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows no clinical differences in ischemic stroke patients treated with BGC with inflated balloon compared to non-BGC and BGC without inflated balloon, despite lower periprocedural complication rates in the non-BGC group and lower eTICI scores in the BGC without inflated balloon group. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3, non-controlled retrospective cohort study.

Procedural blood pressure and contrast extravasation on dual energy computed tomography after endovascular stroke treatment.

BACKGROUND: Blood brain barrier disruption (BBBD) can be visualized by contrast extravasation (CE) after endovascular treatment (EVT) in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Elevated blood pressure is a risk factor for BBBD. However, the association between procedural blood pressure and CE post-EVT is unknown. METHODS: In this single-center retrospective study, we analyzed 501 eligible patients who received a dual energy CT (DECT) immediately post-EVT for acute ischemic stroke. Procedural blood pressure values (SBPmean, SBPmax, SBPmax-min, and MAPmean) were collected. CE was quantified by measuring the maximum parenchymal iodine concentration on DECT iodine overlay map reconstructions. As a measure for the extent of BBBD, we created CE-ASPECTS by deducting one point per hyperdense ASPECTS region on iodine overlay maps. The association between blood pressure and CE was assessed using multivariable linear regression. RESULTS: The procedural SBPmean, SBPmax, and MAPmean were 150 ± 26 mmHg, 173 ± 29 mmHg, and 101 ± 17 mmHg, respectively. The median maximum iodine concentration on post-EVT DECT was 1.2 mg/ml (IQR 0.7-2.0), and median CE-ASPECTS was 8 (IQR 5-11). The maximum iodine concentration was not associated with blood pressure. SBPmean, SBPmax, and MAPmean were significantly associated with CE-ASPECTS (per 10 mmHg, ß = -0.2, 95 % CI -0.31 to -0.09, ß = -0.15, 95 % CI -0.25 to -0.06, ß = -0.33, 95 % CI -0.49 to -0.17, respectively). CONCLUSION: In acute ischemic stroke patients undergoing EVT, particularly in patients achieving successful recanalization, SBPmean, SBPmax, and MAPmean are associated with the extent of BBBD on immediate post-EVT DECT, but not with maximum iodine concentration.

The correlation between CT perfusion deficits and immediate post-endovascular treatment contrast extravasation on dual energy CT in acute ischemic stroke patients.

PURPOSE: After endovascular therapy (EVT) for ischemic stroke, post-EVT CT imaging often shows areas of contrast extravasation (CE) caused by blood brain barrier disruption (BBBD). Before EVT, CT-perfusion (CTP) can be used to estimate salvageable tissue (penumbra) and irrevocably damaged infarction (core). In this study, we aimed to correlate CTP deficits to CE, as a surrogate marker for BBBD, after EVT for ischemic stroke. METHODS: In this single center study, EVT patients between 2010 and 2020 in whom both CTP at baseline and DECT post-EVT was performed were included. The presence of core and penumbra on CTP was assessed per ASPECTS region, resulting in a CTP-ASPECTScore and a CTP-ASPECTScore+penumbra. Likewise, CE on DECT was scored per ASPECTS region, resulting in a CE-ASPECTS. Correlation was assessed using Kendall's tau correlation and positive predictive values (PPV) were calculated per ASPECTS region. Bland-Altman plots were created to visualize the agreement between the two scores. RESULTS: 194 patients met our inclusion criteria. The median core and penumbra were 8 cc (IQR 1-25) and 103 cc (IQR 68-141), respectively. The median CTP-ASPECTScore, CTP-ASPECTScore+penumbra, and CE-ASPECTS were 7 (IQR 4-9), 3 (IQR 1-4), and 6 (IQR 4-9), respectively. The correlation between CTP-ASPECTScore and CE-ASPECTS was τ = 0.21, P <.001, and τ = 0.13, P =.02 between CTP-ASPECTScore+penumbra and CE-ASPECTS. Bland-Altman plots showed a mean difference (CTP-ASPECTS minus CE-ASPECTS) of 0.27 (95 %CI -6.7-7.2) for CTP-ASPECTScore and -3.2 (95 %CI -9.7-3.2) for CTP-ASPECTScore+penumbra. The PPVs of the CTP-ASPECTScore and CTP-ASPECTScore+penumbra were highest for the basal ganglia. CONCLUSION: There is a weak although significant correlation between pre-EVT CTP-ASPECTS and post-EVT CE-ASPECTS. The weak correlation may be attributed to various imaging limitations as well as patient related factors.

Procedural Blood Pressure and Intracranial Hemorrhage on Dual-Energy Computed Tomography After Endovascular Stroke Treatment.

PURPOSE: Optimal systolic blood pressure (SBP) management during endovascular treatment (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke remains a topic of debate. Though BP is associated with worse functional outcome, the relationship between BP and post-procedural intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) is less well-known. We aimed to investigate the association between BP during EVT and post-procedural ICH on dual-energy CT (DECT). METHODS: We included all patients who underwent EVT for an anterior circulation large vessel occlusion between 2010 and 2019, and received DECT < 3 h post-EVT. All BP measurements during the EVT procedure were used to calculate mean arterial pressure (MAPmean), mean SBP (SBPmean), and SBPmax-min (highest minus lowest). ICH was assessed using virtual post-procedural unenhanced DECT reconstructions and classified as intraparenchymal or extraparenchymal. Symptomatic ICH was scored according to the Heidelberg criteria. The association between different BP parameters and ICH was assessed using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: We included 478 patients. Seventy-six patients (16%) demonstrated ICH on DECT, of which 26 (34%) were intraparenchymal. Symptomatic intraparenchymal and extraparenchymal ICH occurred in 10 (38%) and 4 (8%) patients. SBPmax, SBPmean, and MAPmean were associated with intraparenchymal ICH with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.19 (95%CI, 1.02-1.39), 1.22 (95%CI, 1.03-1.46), and 1.40 (95%CI, 1.09-1.81) per 10 mmHg, while BP was not significantly associated with extraparenchymal ICH. BP did not differ between asymptomatic and symptomatic ICH. CONCLUSION: Procedural BP is associated with intraparenchymal ICH on post-EVT DECT but not with extraparenchymal ICH. Future studies should evaluate whether individual procedural BP management reduces post-EVT ICH and improves clinical outcome.