Intra-arterial Mechanical Thrombectomy Research Articles

Taxonomy of Acute Stroke: Imaging, Processing, and Treatment

Stroke management employs a variety of diagnostic imaging modalities, image processing and analysis methods, and treatment procedures. This work categorizes methods for stroke imaging, image processing and analysis, and treatment, and provides their taxonomies illustrated by a state-of-the-art review. Imaging plays a critical role in stroke management, and the most frequently employed modalities are computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR). CT includes unenhanced non-contrast CT as the first-line diagnosis, CT angiography, and CT perfusion. MR is the most complete method to examine stroke patients. MR angiography is useful to evaluate the severity of artery stenosis, vascular occlusion, and collateral flow. Diffusion-weighted imaging is the gold standard for evaluating ischemia. MR perfusion-weighted imaging assesses the penumbra. The stroke image processing methods are divided into non-atlas/template-based and atlas/template-based. The non-atlas/template-based methods are subdivided into intensity and contrast transformations, local segmentation-related, anatomy-guided, global density-guided, and artificial intelligence/deep learning-based. The atlas/template-based methods are subdivided into intensity templates and atlases with three atlas types: anatomy atlases, vascular atlases, and lesion-derived atlases. The treatment procedures for arterial and venous strokes include intravenous and intraarterial thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy. This work captures the stateoftheart in stroke management summarized in the form of comprehensive and straightforward taxonomy diagrams. All three introduced taxonomies in diagnostic imaging, image processing and analysis, and treatment are widely illustrated and compared against other state-of-the-art classifications.

71-year Old Male Patient with 20 Hour Onset of Infarct Stroke that was Performed with Intra-Arterial Thrombolysis, Mechanical Thrombectomy, Balloon Angioplasty, and Carotid Stenting: A Case Report

Introduction: For above 2 decades, the definitive management for acute ischemic stroke is intravenous or intra-arterial thrombolysis (IAT), using recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator. Recently mechanical thrombectomy (MT) was developed to overcome the problem that intravenous thrombolysis is only effective in removing large artery occlusions in the range of 10-30%. Early treatment with intra-arterial thrombolysis, permanent stent insertion and clot extraction devices evolved into the stent-retriever device used in most of the important trials and, recently, emerged aspiration tool. This case report presented 71-year-old male patient with infarct stroke who performed with MT. Case presentation: This case report presented 71-year-old male patient with the main complaint of right limbs weakness. A non-contrast head CT scan found infarction in the cortical-subcortical left parietal lobe, posterior pericornu of the right lateral ventricle and right temporal cornu periventricular; lacunar infarction in the right and left paramedian pons; old lacunar infarction in the left and right centrum semiovale, left corona radiata, right internal capsule, right parietal lobe white matter, left lentiform nucleus, left posterior crus of the internal capsule-thalamus, right thalamus, right lateral ventricular pericornu and left paramedian pons. The patient underwent cerebral digital substraction angiography (DSA), as well as IAT, MT, balloon angioplasty, and carotid stenting with good clinical outcome. Conclusion: With the overwhelming positive results of studies evaluating the safety, efficiency, and efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy; the standard of care for the treatment of patients with anterior circulation vessel occlusion is becoming clear.

Mechanical thrombectomy with intra-arterial thrombolysis versus mechanical thrombectomy alone in patients with acute ischemic stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

There is conflicting evidence as to whether intra-arterial thrombolysis (IAT) adds benefit in patients with acute stroke who undergo mechanical thrombectomy (MT). We conducted a systematic review to identify studies that evaluate IAT in patients with acute stroke who undergo MT. Data were extracted from relevant studies found through a search of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science until February 2023. Statistical pooling with random effects meta-analysis was undertaken to evaluate odds of functional independence, mortality, and near-complete or complete angiographic recanalization with IAT compared to no IAT. A total of 18 studies were included (3 matched, 14 unmatched, and 1 randomized). The odds ratio (OR) for functional independence (modified Rankin Scale: 0-2) at 90 days was 1.14 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.95-1.37, p = 0.17, 16 studies involving 7572 patients) with IAT with moderate between-study heterogeneity (I2 = 38.1%). The OR for functional independence with IAT was 1.28 (95% CI: 0.92-1.78, p = 0.15) in studies that were either matched or randomized and 1.24 (95% CI: 0.97-1.58, p = 0.08) in studies with the highest quality score. IAT was associated with higher odds of near-complete or complete angiographic recanalization (OR: 1.65, 95% CI: 1.03-2.65, p = 0.04) in studies that were either matched or of randomized comparisons. Although the odds of functional independence appeared to be higher with IAT and MT compared with MT alone, none of the results were statistically significant. A prominent effect of the design and quality of the studies was observed on the association between IAT and functional independence at 90 days.

TESLA Trial: Rationale, Protocol, and Design

Background Mechanical thrombectomy has been shown to be effective in patients with acute ischemic stroke secondary to large‐vessel occlusion and small to moderate infarct volume. However, there are no randomized clinical trials for large‐core infarct volume comparing mechanical thrombectomy to medical therapy in the population selected based solely on noncontrast computed tomography brain scan. The TESLA (Thrombectomy for Emergent Salvage of Large Anterior Circulation Ischemic Stroke) randomized clinical trial is designed to address this clinical question. Methods The TESLA trial aim is to demonstrate the efficacy (3‐month and 1‐year disability following stroke) and safety of intraarterial mechanical thrombectomy in patients with large‐volume infarction assessed with a noncontrast computed tomography scan. The TESLA trial design is a prospective, randomized controlled, multicenter, open‐label, assessor‐blinded anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke trial with adaptive enrichment design, enrolling up to 300 patients. Patients with anterior circulation large‐vessel occlusion who meet the imaging and clinical eligibility criteria with a large‐core infarction on the basis of noncontrast computed tomography Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (2–5) adjudicated by a site investigator will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to undergo intraarterial thrombectomy or best medical management up to 24 hours from last known well. Results The primary efficacy outcome is utility‐weighted modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score distribution at 90 days between the groups. The results will be based on an intention‐to‐treat analysis that will examine the Bayesian posterior probability that, adjusted for Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score, patients with large‐core infarct volume treated with intra‐arterial thrombectomy have higher expected utility‐weighted mRS than those treated with best medical management alone. The primary safety outcome is the 90‐day death rate. Key secondary outcomes are dichotomized mRS 0 to 2 and 0 to 3 outcomes, ordinal mRS scores, and quality of life (EuroQol 5 Dimension 5 Level survey) at 90 days and 1 year, utility‐weighted mRS at 1 year, hemicraniectomy rate, and rate of 24‐hour symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage in both groups. Conclusion TESLA is a pragmatic trial, designed to address the unanswered question of the efficacy and safety of intra‐arterial thrombectomy in patients with large infarcts diagnosed by the site investigator only on noncontrast computed tomography scan secondary to anterior circulation large‐vessel occlusion up to 24 hours from stroke symptoms onset.

Predicting the tissue outcome of acute ischemic stroke from acute 4D computed tomography perfusion imaging using temporal features and deep learning.

Predicting follow-up lesions from baseline CT perfusion (CTP) datasets in acute ischemic stroke patients is important for clinical decision making. Deep convolutional networks (DCNs) are assumed to be the current state-of-the-art for this task. However, many DCN classifiers have not been validated against the methods currently used in research (random decision forests, RDF) and clinical routine (Tmax thresholding). Specialized DCNs have even been designed to extract complex temporal features directly from spatiotemporal CTP data instead of using standard perfusion parameter maps. However, the benefits of applying deep learning to source or deconvolved CTP data compared to perfusion parameter maps have not been formally investigated so far. In this work, a modular UNet-based DCN is proposed that separates temporal feature extraction from tissue outcome prediction, allowing for both model validation using perfusion parameter maps as well as end-to-end learning from spatiotemporal CTP data. 145 retrospective datasets comprising baseline CTP imaging, perfusion parameter maps, and follow-up non-contrast CT with manual lesion segmentations were assembled from acute ischemic stroke patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis alone (IV; n = 43) or intra-arterial mechanical thrombectomy (IA; n = 102) with or without combined IV. Using the perfusion parameter maps as input, the proposed DCN (mean Dice: 0.287) outperformed the RDF (0.262) and simple Tmax-thresholding (0.249). The performance of the proposed DCN was approximately equal using features optimized from the deconvolved residual curves (0.286) compared to perfusion parameter maps (0.287), while using features optimized from the source concentration-time curves (0.296) provided the best tissue outcome predictions.

Feasibility of rescue stenting technique in patients with acute ischemic stroke due to middle cerebral artery occlusion after failed thrombectomy: A single-center retrospective experience.

BackgroundDespite remarkable advancements in intra-arterial mechanical thrombectomy (IAT), recanalization failure rates up to 24% have been reported. Recently, permanent stent placement (rescue stent, RS) during IAT has been suggested as an optional modality for better reperfusion and outcomes in these patients. However, previous studies were limited owing to non-standardized procedure protocols and small sample sizes. Here, we aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of RS in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) with middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion.MethodsOf the 243 patients in our IAT database (2015–2021), 183 were identified as having MCA occlusion alone. Among them, we extracted 53 patients in whom the IAT failed to show thrombolysis in cerebral ischemia (TICI) scores of 2A or worse. Intraoperatively, RS was deployed in 22 patients (RS group), whereas 31 patients (no-stent group) received IAT without stenting. The baseline characteristics and radiologic and clinical outcomes were reviewed. Comparisons between the groups and multivariate logistic analyses for recanalization and good functional outcomes (modified Rankin Scale 0–2) were performed.ResultsNo baseline differences were noted (RS vs. no-stent); however, the recanalization outcomes (59.1% vs. 25.8%, p = 0.15) and proportion of good modified Rankin Scale scores (45.5% vs. 19.4%, p = 0.041) were better in the RS group. The parameters of symptomatic ICH (9.7% vs. 9.4%) and mortality (6.5% vs. 5.7%) showed no significant difference. In the multivariate analyses, ‘hypertension’ and ‘RS deployment’ were identified as significantly associated factors with recanalization and good prognosis.ConclusionIn select patients with MCA occlusion AIS after failed IAT, the RS technique can be an optional rescue treatment modality for acquiring better functional outcomes and delayed recanalization.

Improving the Telemedicine Evaluation of Patients With Acute Vision Loss: A Call to Eyes.

Acute vision loss related to cerebral or retinal ischemia is a time-sensitive emergency with potential treatment options including IV or intra-arterial thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy. However, patients either present in a delayed fashion or present to an emergency department that lacks the subspecialty expertise to recognize and treat these conditions in a timely fashion. Moreover, health care systems in the United States are becoming increasingly reliant on telestroke and teleneurology services for acute neurologic care, making the accurate diagnosis of acute vision loss even more challenging due to critical limitations to the remote video evaluation, including the inability to perform routine ophthalmoscopy. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a greater reliance on telemedicine services and helped to accelerate the development of novel tools and care pathways to improve remote ophthalmologic evaluation, but these tools have yet to be adapted for use in the remote evaluation of acute vision loss. Permanent vision loss can be disabling for patients, and efforts must be made to increase and improve early diagnosis and management. Herein, the authors outline the importance of improving acute ophthalmologic diagnosis, outline key limitations and barriers to the current video-based teleneurology assessments, highlight opportunities to leverage new tools to enhance the remote assessment of vision loss, and propose new avenues to improve access to emergent ophthalmology subspecialty.

Treatment Efficacy Analysis in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients Using In Silico Modeling Based on Machine Learning: A Proof-of-Principle.

Interventional neuroradiology is characterized by engineering- and experience-driven device development with design improvements every few months. However, clinical validation of these new devices requires lengthy and expensive randomized controlled trials. This contribution proposes a machine learning-based in silico study design to evaluate new devices more quickly with a small sample size. Acute diffusion- and perfusion-weighted MRI, segmented one-week follow-up imaging, and clinical variables were available for 90 acute ischemic stroke patients. Three treatment option-specific random forest models were trained to predict the one-week follow-up lesion segmentation for (1) patients successfully recanalized using intra-arterial mechanical thrombectomy, (2) patients successfully recanalized using intravenous thrombolysis, and (3) non-recanalizing patients as an analogue for conservative treatment for each patient in the sample, independent of the true group membership. A repeated-measures analysis of the three predicted follow-up lesions for each patient revealed significantly larger lesions for the non-recanalizing group compared to the successful intravenous thrombolysis treatment group, which in turn showed significantly larger lesions compared to the successful mechanical thrombectomy treatment group (p < 0.001). A groupwise comparison of the true follow-up lesions for the three treatment options showed the same trend but did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.19). We conclude that the proposed machine learning-based in silico trial design leads to clinically feasible results and can support new efficacy studies by providing additional power and potential early intermediate results.

Hyperdense middle cerebral artery sign and response to combination of mechanical Thrombectomy plus intravenous thrombolysis in acute stroke patients

Background and purposeCombining intra-arterial mechanical thrombectomy (IAMT) and intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) has shown to have an excellent recanalization rate and better clinical outcome in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients. Hyperdense middle cerebral artery sign (HMCAS) on pretreatment non-contrast head CT scan of AIS patients is one of the early ischemic radiological findings in middle cerebral artery territory AIS. We aimed to evaluate whether the presence of HMCAS predicts the outcome of AIS patients receiving combination therapy with IAMT and IVT. MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed medical records and cerebrovascular images of the patients treated with IAMT and IVT for AIS in our center. Patients with occlusion in the terminal internal carotid artery or middle cerebral artery on pretreatment CT angiogram of the head were included. Clinical outcome was compared between subjects with HMCAS and those without. Modified Rankin Score (mRS) and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) were used as measures of efficacy and safety, respectively. ResultsOf 93 patients, 46 (49%) had HMCAS on their initial head CT scan. Both groups had comparable baseline characteristics and stroke severity. After adjusting for age, NIHSS score, time from symptom onset to starting IVT, and history of diabetes mellitus in multivariate logistic regression analysis, there was no difference in terms of a poor outcome (mRS >2) (OR = 0.5 [CI 0.2–1.4], p = 0.188) or rate of sICH (OR = 3.3 [CI 0.6–19.0], p = 0.190) between the two groups. ConclusionsHMCAS is not a predictor of poor outcome in AIS patients receiving combination therapy with IAMT and IVT and does not affect treatment safety.

Abstract P552: Characteristics of Acute Stroke Intervention Therapies During Covid-19

Background and Purpose: We aimed to investigate the characteristics of acute stroke intervention therapies during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: The data were obtained from a comprehensive stroke center in the central region of the state of Kentucky in the United States. Pre-COVID period, which is before the first confirmed case in Kentucky, from January 1 to March 5 , 2020, was compared with the COVID period from March 6 to May 9, 2020. The variables included were total number of stroke alerts, final diagnosis of stroke, stroke severity scale, thrombolysis including intravenous and intra-arterial tissue plasminogen activator administration and mechanical thrombectomy. The 2 time periods were compared using nonparametric statistics. Results: Total thrombectomies were increased from median, 3( Interquartile range, 1-7) during pre-COVID period to median of 7( Interquartile range, 2-17, p=0.01) during COVID period. Intravenous thrombolysis and adjunct therapy with intra-arterial thrombolysis did not differ between two time periods. Conclusions: We observed an increase in acute stroke intervention therapies during the surge of COVID-19 cases in Kentucky. This observation could be attributed to the increased association of COVID-19 and acute ischemic stroke.

Treatment and Outcome in Stroke Patients With Acute M2 Occlusion and Minor Neurological Deficits.

Treatment in stroke patients with M2 segment occlusion of the middle cerebral artery presenting with mild neurological deficits is a matter of debate. The main purpose was to compare the outcome in patients with a minor stroke and a M2 occlusion. Consecutive intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) eligible patients admitted to the Bernese stroke center between January 2005 and January 2020 with acute occlusion of the M2 segment and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score ≤5 were included. Outcome was compared between IVT only versus endovascular therapy (EVT) including intra-arterial thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy (MT; ±IVT) and between IVT only versus MT only. Among 169 patients (38.5% women, median age 70.2 years), 84 (49.7%) received IVT only and 85 (50.3%) EVT (±IVT), the latter including 39 (45.9%) treated with MT only. Groups were similar in sex, age, vascular risk factors, event cause, or preevent independency. Compared with IVT only, there was no difference in favorable outcome (modified Rankin Scale score, 0-2) for EVT (adjusted odds ratio, 0.96; adjusted P=0.935) or for MT only (adjusted odds ratio, 1.12; adjusted P=0.547) groups. Considering only patients treated after 2015, there was a significantly better 3-month modified Rankin Scale shift (adjusted P=0.032) in the EVT compared with the IVT only group. Our study demonstrates similar effectiveness of IVT only versus EVT (±IVT), and of IVT only versus MT only in patients with peripheral middle cerebral artery occlusions and minor neurological deficits and indicates a possible benefit of EVT considering only patients treated after 2015. There is an unmet need for randomized controlled trials in this stroke field, including imaging parameters, and more sophisticated evaluation of National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score subitems, neurocognition, and quality of life neglected by the standard outcome scales such as modified Rankin Scale and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score.

РЕЗУЛЬТАТЫ ПРИМЕНЕНИЯ КТ-АНГИОГРАФИИ БРАХИОЦЕФАЛЬНЫХ АРТЕРИЙ У ПАЦИЕНТОВ С ОНМК ПО ИШЕМИЧЕСКОМУ ТИПУ И ИХ СВЯЗЬ С ТЯЖЕСТЬЮ НЕВРОЛОГИЧЕСКОЙ СИМПТОМАТИКИ ПО ШКАЛЕ NIHSS

To determine the detection of large intracranial artery thrombosis by CT angiography (CTA) in patients with acute ischemic stroke, depending on the severity of neurological symptoms at the international NIHSS score. Materials and methods. Study population are patients, hospitalized to the M.P. Konchalovsky City clinical hospital in Moscow during 2019 with ischemic stroke and underwent CTA scans of extra-and intracranial arteries: total 173 patients (94 women (54.3%), man 79 (45,7 %), average age – 70 years) with a diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke, who were in all cases, NIHSS scale was used to assess the severity of neurological symptoms. Intravenous fibrinolytic therapy (FT) or intra-arterial mechanical thrombectomy (TE) was performed in all cases. The Spearman rank correlation was used to measure the correlation. Results. In 63 of 173 patients (36%) NIHSS score was 6 points or less. Occlusions of large intracranial arteries were detected in 27.7% (n=46) of cases, of which only 61% (n=28) patients reached the stage of TE. FT was performed in 54% of cases (n=94). Of 46 cases with occlusion of large intracranial arteries only 2 patients (4%) had NIHSS score 6 or less. Of all patients, who underwent the CTA, only 2 (1.2%) had NIHSS score 6 or less. There was a significant positive correlation between NIHSS score and the detection of intracranial artery thrombosis. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient Rs is 0.55 (p&lt;0.0001). For one patient brought to the TE stage, there were 6 CTA of extra-and intracranial arteries. Conclusion. There is a strong relationship between NIHSS score and the detection of intracranial artery thrombosis by CTA. With the low values of the NIHSS score (less than 6), the probability of detection of thrombosis is extremely small. It is advisable to prescribe CTA for patients with NIHSS score of 7 or more only.

Comparison Between Three Commonly Used Large-Bore Aspiration Catheters in Terms of Successful Recanalization and First-Passage Effect

ObjectivesTo compare three commonly used large-bore aspiration catheters in terms of final successful recanalization rate and first-passage successful and complete recanalization rates (the so called “first-passage effect”). Materials and methodsit is an observational retrospective multicenter study conducted in three Italian high-volume tertiary stroke centers between January 2017 and May 2019. The study population included all consecutive patients with an ischemic stroke due to middle cerebral artery occlusion (M1 segment only) that underwent intra-arterial mechanical thrombectomy with contact aspiration as first-line strategy within 24 hours from symptoms onset. ResultsThree hundred twenty-one patients were included in the study. Multivariable logistic regression analysis comparing the three catheters revealed no differences in terms of successful recanalization. Sofia 6 Plus catheter was associated with better first-passage successful recanalization [OR, 9.09; 95% CI, 2.66–31.03] (p<0.001) and first-passage complete recanalization [OR: 3.73; 95% CI: 1.43-9.72] (p=0.007) whereas rt-PA was associated with worse first-passage recanalization [OR: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.29–0.93] (p=0.028). ConclusionsNo differences between the three catheters were reported in terms of successful recanalization. Sofia 6 Plus has proven to be superior in achieving both successful and complete first-passage recanalization. Conversely, rt-PA was found to be a negative predicting factor of first-passage effect.

Surgical procedure of segmentectomy as a possible cause of postoperative cerebral embolism: a case report

BackgroundCerebral embolism after lobectomy is a life-threatening complication during the early postoperative period. However, it is unclear if cerebral embolism can develop after segmentectomy.Case presentationWe experienced a case of a 37-year-old man who demonstrated early symptom of acute ischemic stroke in early postoperative period after right upper posterior segmentectomy and performed intra-arterial mechanical thrombectomy (IAMT) successfully.ConclusionsLong and irregular pulmonary vein stump (PVS) and endothelial injury caused by surgical procedure may lead to cerebral embolism after segmentectomy. We believe that doing preoperative pulmonary vascular assessment and using appropriate surgical procedure may reduce the rate of cerebral embolism.

Predicting Factors of Functional Outcome in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke Admitted to Neuro-Intensive Care Unit-A Prospective Cohort Study.

Although thrombectomy is beneficial for most stroke patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO), it has added new issues in acute management due to intensive care support. In this prospective cohort study, we described the patients admitted to our neuro-intensive care unit (NICU) after thrombectomy in order to assess factors linked to functional outcomes. The outcome was independency assessed for stroke patients consecutively admitted to NICU for an ischemic stroke due to LVO of the anterior cerebral circulation that underwent intra-arterial mechanical thrombectomy (IAMT), either in combination with intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) in eligible patients or alone in patients with contraindications for IVT. Overall, 158 patients were enrolled. IVT (odds ratio (OR), 3.78; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.20–11.90; p = 0.023) and early naso-gastric tube removal (OR, 3.32; 95% CI, 1.04–10.59 p = 0.042) were associated with good outcomes, whereas a high baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score (OR, 0.72 for each point of increase; 95% CI, 0.61–0.85; p < 0.001) was a predictor of poor outcomes at 3 months. Older age (OR, 0.95 for each year of increase; 95% CI, 0.92–0.99; p = 0.020) and hemorrhagic transformation (OR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.11–0.84; p = 0.022) were predictors of poor outcomes after IAMT, whereas a modified Treatment in Cerebral Infarction (mTICI) score of 2b/3 was a predictor of good outcomes (OR, 7.86; 95% CI, 1.65–37.39; p = 0.010) at 6 months. Our results show that acute stroke patients with LVO who require NICU management soon after IAMT may show specific clinical factors influencing short- and long-term neurologic independency.

Symptomatic Intracerebral Hemorrhage Complicating Intra-Arterial Mechanical Thrombectomy in Acute Ischemic Stroke

BACKGROUND: Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is the most common type of stroke. The endovascular treatment of AIS depends on stroke subtype, whether caused by large vessel occlusion (LVO) or not. We presented a case of AIS due to LVO that has complication in the form of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) after an intra-arterial mechanical thrombectomy.&#x0D; CASE PRESENTATION: An 80-year-old woman was admitted to the emergency department with sudden onset left side weakness since &lt;1 h before admission, when the patient had woke up in the morning. The patient had history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia. She also had cardiac disorders in the form of non-valvular atrial fibrillation with 55% left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Her blood pressure was 148/84 mmHg, heart rate was 65 beats/minute, respiratory rate was 17 times/min, and body temperature was 36.2°C. Glasgow coma scale (GCS) was E3V4M5; National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was 15. She had moderate aphasia. Head CT scan did not show any hyper- or hypodens areas and Alberta Stroke Program Early CT score was 10. RAPID automated CT perfusion using Quantitative Software showed that the mismatch volume was 192 ml and the mismatch ratio was 7.4. Endovascular therapy in the form of intra-arterial mechanical thrombectomy was performed, and blood flow in the right internal carotid artery (ICA) was restored with the score of Modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (mTICI) was III. Follow-up non-contrast head CT scan was performed and revealed acute infarction with hemorrhagic transformation in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory.&#x0D; CONCLUSION: Early and accurate treatment of AIS is paramount. Endovascular treatment in the form of intra-arterial mechanical thrombectomy is the current treatment recommendation in LVO although there is a risk of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage, as in this case.

New Advances in Acute Ischemic Stroke Management: Review Article

Cerebrovascular disease is the second cause of death and the sixth cause of morbidity worldwide, which will rise to fourth place by 2020. The treatment strategies for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) divided into two groups, including intravenous or intra-arterial thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy. Regarding growing development in the realm of diagnosis and treatment of stroke through state-of-the-art approaches, including emergent thrombectomy, there are new opportunities for investigation in this area. This is while a rough rate of 85% for strokes is occupied by, and the remained is hemorrhagic. Hence, the present study aimed to review recent advances in AIS with a focus on emergent thrombectomy. Here, we first provided the relevant history, and then the recent advances were discussed. The library data collection method was employed so that such databases as Web of Science, PubMed, and Science Direct used for data extraction. The evidence confirms the importance of emergent thrombectomy as all believe the famous statement “time is the brain.” However, further investigations are required to find more strong evidence accordingly.

New Advances in Acute Ischemic Stroke Management: Review Article

Cerebrovascular disease is the second cause of death and the sixth cause of morbidity worldwide, which will rise to fourth place by 2020. The treatment strategies for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) divided into two groups, including intravenous or intra-arterial thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy. Regarding growing development in the realm of diagnosis and treatment of stroke through state-of-the-art approaches, including emergent thrombectomy, there are new opportunities for investigation in this area. This is while a rough rate of 85% for strokes is occupied by, and the remained is hemorrhagic. Hence, the present study aimed to review recent advances in AIS with a focus on emergent thrombectomy. Here, we first provided the relevant history, and then the recent advances were discussed. The library data collection method was employed so that such databases as Web of Science, PubMed, and Science Direct used for data extraction. The evidence confirms the importance of emergent thrombectomy as all believe the famous statement "time is the brain." However, further investigations are required to find more strong evidence accordingly.

Abstract WMP68: The MicroRNA Expression Analysis for Thrombus From Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background: The thrombus retrieved from mechanical thrombectomy among stroke patients could provide important information regarding stroke mechanism and its prognosis. We investigated microRNA expression pattern from thrombus to differentiate stroke mechanism. Methods: Between September 2016 and March 2019, acute ischemic stroke patients who received intra-arterial mechanical thrombectomy from Chung-Ang University Hospital, Seoul, Korea were eligible to be included. After obtaining informed consent, the thrombus was stored at -70°C nitrogen tank. First, we performed microRNA microarray analysis for the patients with clearly identified stroke mechanisms including large artery atherosclerosis, cardioembolism with atrial fibrillation and cardioembolism with valvular heart disease. Second, those microRNAs derive from microarray analysis were validated by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction, and correlation analyses were performed between microRNA levels and clinical data. Finally, the expression levels of microRNAs were compared between the patients with early neurological deterioration (END) after stroke and those without. Results: A total of 48 thrombi had been retrieved from 51 patients. The microarray analysis of microRNA revealed that 42 microRNAs were significantly altered among the three groups out of 869 examined microRNAs. Ejection fractions were negatively correlated with miR-450b-5p levels (r=-0.448, p&lt;0.0001) and e/e’ were positively correlated with miR-378f (r=0.640, p&lt;0.001). The patients with END exhibited higher levels of miR-93-5p and lower levels of miR-629-5p. Conclusion: The microRNA expression pattern can provide information regarding stroke mechanisms, underlying heart dysfunction and prognosis after recanalization treatment.

Paradigm Shift in Intra-Arterial Mechanical Thrombectomy for Acute Ischemic Stroke : A Review of Randomized Controlled Trials after 2015.

Three randomized control trials (RCTs), published in 2013, investigated efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy in large vessel occlusions and did not show better results compared to intravenous (IV) recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) alone. However, most clinicians treating stroke consider mechanical thrombectomy as the standard treatment rather than using IV tPA alone. This paradigm shift was based on five RCTs investigating efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy in acute ischemic stroke conducted from 2010 to 2015. They demonstrated that mechanical thrombectomy was effective and safe in acute ischemic stroke with anterior circulation occlusion when performed within 6 hours of stroke onset. There are four reasons underlying the different results observed between the trials conducted in 2013 and 2015. First, the three RCTs of 2013 used low-efficiency thrombectomy devices. Second, the three RCTs used insufficient image selection criteria. Third, following the initial presentation at the hospital, reperfusion treatment required a long time. Fourth, the three RCTs showed a low rate of successful recanalization. Time is the most important factor in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke. However, current trends utilize advanced imaging techniques, such as diffusion-weighted imaging and multi-channel computer tomographic perfusion, to facilitate the detection of core infarction, penumbra, and collateral flows. These efforts demonstrate that patient selection may overcome the barriers of time in specific cases.