Abstract WP25: Concomitant IV tPA Does Not Increase Harm to Patients Who Receive Simultaneous Mechanical Thrombectomy and Emergent Carotid Artery Stent Treatment

Abstract

Background: Stenting of the cervical internal carotid artery (ICA) may be performed acutely in patients undergoing endovascular intervention for stroke due to occlusion of the intracranial ICA or MCA. It is unclear if pre-intervention IV tPA increases complications of carotid artery stenting (CAS) in this group. Hypothesis: We assessed the hypothesis that pre-intervention IV tPA does not increase the risk of complications in acute ischemic stroke patients (AIS) who require concurrent mechanical thrombectomy and emergent CAS. Methods: Patients undergoing both mechanical thrombectomy and CAS within 24 hours of stroke onset were identified from the Merci Registry, a prospective database of AIS patients treated with the Merci Retriever. Those receiving IV tPA were compared with those that did not for associations with functional independence (mRS 0-2) and risk of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH). The primary endpoint for this study was the percentage of patients with mRS 0-2 at 90 days. Secondary endpoints included 90-day mortality and sICH. Outcomes were compared with Fisher’s exact test. Results: 103 patients were included. Thirty received IV tPA (mean age 59.1, time to treatment 6.3 hrs, median NIHSS 18) and 74 did not (mean age 66.1, time to treatment 9.8 hrs, median NIHSS 16). Although numerically higher, there was no significant difference in sICH at 24 hours, occurring in 18.2% (4/22) of IV tPA patients and 7.3% (4/55) of patients without IV tPA (p=0.22) [sICH data was not available on 28 patients]. At 90 days, 40% of the IV tPA group (12/30) was functionally independent while 30.6% (22/73) was functionally independent in the non-IV tPA group (p=0.36). There was no difference in 90-day mortality between the two groups (26.7% vs. 34.7%, p=0.67). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that concomitant IV tPA use in acute stroke patients who had simultaneous mechanical thrombectomy and CAS did not significantly affect patient outcomes or increase complications. Although neither result was statistically significant, there was a trend toward improved functional outcomes at 90 days in the IV tPA treated group despite a trend toward increased rates of sICH.