Endovascular Treatment of Atherosclerotic Tandem Occlusions in Anterior Circulation Stroke: Technical Aspects and Complications Compared to Isolated Intracranial Occlusions

Background and Purpose: Endovascular treatment of tandem occlusions is an emerging option. We describe our multicenter experience with endovascular management of atherosclerotic tandem occlusions in the anterior circulation, particularly the technical aspects and complications in comparison to isolated intracranial occlusions.Materials and Methods: Consecutive patients with tandem occlusions due to atherosclerotic causes who underwent mechanical thrombectomy at two major stroke centers between January 2010 and September 2015 were reviewed. Clinical data, procedural aspects, recanalization rates, complication rates, and clinical outcome were analyzed and compared to findings in patients with isolated intracranial occlusions.Results: One hundred and twenty-one patients with tandem occlusions and 456 patients with isolated intracranial occlusions (carotid-T/M1) were included. Mean intervention time was faster (33 min vs. 57 min, p < 0.001) and recanalization success was higher (TICI 2b/3 83.6 vs. 70.2%, p = 0.002) in patients with isolated occlusions. No difference was seen in clinical outcome and complications, except for a higher rate of asymptomatic hemorrhage in the tandem group (29.8 vs. 17.1%, p = 0.003). Choice of recanalization approach (antegrade vs. retrograde) in the tandem group made no difference, except for a trend toward less distal emboli using the retrograde approach (4.0 vs. 13.0%, p = 0.082). Stenting of the extracranial internal carotid artery (ICA) was performed in 81%, PTA alone in 7.4%, and deferred stenting in 11.6%. Rate of stent/ICA occlusion within 7 days was 10.3% after stenting and 33.3% after PTA (p = 0.127). In the tandem group, age (p = 0.034), National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (NIHSS) at admission (p = 0.002), recanalization rate (p < 0.001), complications (p = 0.016), and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) (p = 0.001) were associated with poor outcome, whereas extracranial treatment modality and stent/ICA occlusion within 7 days did not affect outcome.Conclusion: Endovascular treatment of tandem occlusions is technically feasible, achieves recanalization rates and rates of good clinical outcome comparable to those in patients with isolated intracranial occlusions. Following acute ICA stenting, the risk of stent occlusion and sICH appeared to be low, but was associated with an increased rate of asymptomatic ICH

Patent Foramen Ovale Closure or Anticoagulation vs. Antiplatelets after Stroke

BACKGROUND Trials of patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure to prevent recurrent stroke have been inconclusive. We investigated whether patients with cryptogenic stroke and echocardiographic features representing risk of stroke would benefit from PFO closure or anticoagulation, as compared with antiplatelet therapy. METHODS In a multicenter, randomized, open-label trial, we assigned, in a 1:1:1 ratio, patients 16 to 60 years of age who had had a recent stroke attributed to PFO, with an associated atrial septal aneurysm or large interatrial shunt, to transcatheter PFO closure plus long-term antiplatelet therapy (PFO closure group), antiplatelet therapy alone (antiplatelet-only group), or oral anticoagulation (anticoagulation group) (randomization group 1). Patients with contraindications to anticoagulants or to PFO closure were randomly assigned to the alternative noncontraindicated treatment or to antiplatelet therapy (randomization groups 2 and 3). The primary outcome was occurrence of stroke. The comparison of PFO closure plus antiplatelet therapy with antiplatelet therapy alone was performed with combined data from randomization groups 1 and 2, and the comparison of oral anticoagulation with antiplatelet therapy alone was performed with combined data from randomization groups 1 and 3. RESULTS A total of 663 patients underwent randomization and were followed for a mean (+/- SD) of 5.3 +/- 2.0 years. In the analysis of randomization groups 1 and 2, no stroke occurred among the 238 patients in the PFO closure group, whereas stroke occurred in 14 of the 235 patients in the antiplatelet-only group (hazard ratio, 0.03; 95% confidence interval, 0 to 0.26; P<0.001). Procedural complications from PFO closure occurred in 14 patients (5.9%). The rate of atrial fibrillation was higher in the PFO closure group than in the antiplatelet-only group (4.6% vs. 0.9%, P = 0.02). The number of serious adverse events did not differ significantly between the treatment groups (P = 0.56). In the analysis of randomization groups 1 and 3, stroke occurred in 3 of 187 patients assigned to oral anticoagulants and in 7 of 174 patients assigned to antiplatelet therapy alone. CONCLUSIONS Among patients who had had a recent cryptogenic stroke attributed to PFO with an associated atrial septal aneurysm or large interatrial shunt, the rate of stroke recurrence was lower among those assigned to PFO closure combined with antiplatelet therapy than among those assigned to antiplatelet therapy alone. PFO closure was associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation

A Randomized Trial of Intravenous Alteplase before Endovascular Treatment for Stroke

The value of administering intravenous alteplase before endovascular treatment (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke has not been studied extensively, particularly in non-Asian populations. METHODS We performed an open-label, multicenter, randomized trial in Europe involving patients with stroke who presented directly to a hospital that was capable of providing EVT and who were eligible for intravenous alteplase and EVT. Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive EVT alone or intravenous alteplase followed by EVT (the standard of care). The primary end point was functional outcome on the modified Rankin scale (range, 0 [no disability] to 6 [death]) at 90 days. We assessed the superiority of EVT alone over alteplase plus EVT, as well as noninferiority by a margin of 0.8 for the lower boundary of the 95% confidence interval for the odds ratio of the two trial groups. Death from any cause and symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage were the main safety end points. RESULTS The analysis included 539 patients. The median score on the modified Rankin scale at 90 days was 3 (interquartile range, 2 to 5) with EVT alone and 2 (interquartile range, 2 to 5) with alteplase plus EVT. The adjusted common odds ratio was 0.84 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.62 to 1.15; P=0.28), which showed neither superiority nor noninferiority of EVT alone. Mortality was 20.5% with EVT alone and 15.8% with alteplase plus EVT (adjusted odds ratio, 1.39; 95% CI, 0.84 to 2.30). Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage occurred in 5.9% and 5.3% of the patients in the respective groups (adjusted odds ratio, 1.30; 95% CI, 0.60 to 2.81). CONCLUSIONS In a randomized trial involving European patients, EVT alone was neither superior nor noninferior to intravenous alteplase followed by EVT with regard to disability outcome at 90 days after stroke. The incidence of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage was similar in the two groups

Pronostic des infarctus cérébraux secondaires à une occlusion aiguë de la carotide

MONTPELLIER-BU Médecine UPM (341722108) / SudocMONTPELLIER-BU Médecine (341722104) / SudocSudocFranceF

Angéite cérébrale chez le patient transplanté. A propos de deux cas

PARIS-BIUM (751062103) / SudocCentre Technique Livre Ens. Sup. (774682301) / SudocSudocFranceF

Understanding the effects of COVID-19 on health care and systems

International audienc

Bilateral intracranial stenting for refractory post-infectious cerebral vasculitis secondary to Pneumococcal Meningitis

International audienc

Styloid and hyoid bone proximity is a risk factor for cervical carotid artery dissection

Carotid artery dissection (CAD) is more common with increased styloid process length. Our goal was to determine whether proximity of the styloid process and the hyoid bone to the internal carotid artery (ICA) was a risk factor for CAD.status: publishe

Intravenous Thrombolysis in Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Associated with Transient Symptoms

International audienc

Endovascular Thrombectomy Outcomes with and without Intravenous Thrombolysis for Large Ischemic Cores Identified with CT or MRI

International audienceBackground Whether intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) prior to endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) provides additional benefits in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and a large infarct core (LIC) remains unclear. Purpose To examine whether treatment with IVT before EVT is beneficial in patients with LIC identified with CT or MRI (Alberta Stroke Program Early CT score 0-5). Materials and Methods This retrospective study included consecutive adult patients diagnosed with AIS due to large vessel occlusion (LVO) and LIC treated with EVT who were enrolled in the ETIS (Endovascular Treatment in Ischemic Stroke) Registry in France between January 2015 and January 2022. The primary outcome measure was a favorable outcome (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] score 0-3) at 90 days. Secondary outcomes included functional independence (mRS score 0-2) at 90 days, improvement in degree of disability (ordinal shift in mRS score toward a better outcome) at 90 days, early neurologic improvement at 24 hours, and successful reperfusion (modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction score of 2b or higher). Safety outcomes included symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage within 24 hours and mortality at 90 days. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW)-adjusted analysis was used to assess the treatment effect of IVT adjusted for baseline variables. Results Of 1408 patients (mean age, 68.3 years ± 15.4 [SD]; 789 men), 654 (46.4%) were treated with IVT prior to EVT. In the IPTW-adjusted data set, IVT plus EVT was associated with a higher rate of favorable outcome at 90 days (odds ratio [OR], 1.24 [95% CI: 1.05, 1.46]; P = .01), functional independence at 90 days (OR, 1.47 [95% CI: 1.22, 1.77]; P < .001), improvement in degree of disability at 90 days (common OR, 1.30 [95% CI: 1.13, 1.49]; P < .001), early neurologic improvement (OR, 1.26 [95% CI: 1.07, 1.49]; P = .005), and successful reperfusion (OR, 1.43 [95% CI: 1.14, 1.79]; P = .002) than EVT alone. Rates of brain hemorrhage within 24 hours and mortality at 90 days were similar between groups. Conclusion In patients with AIS due to LVO with LIC identified with CT or MRI, treatment with IVT before EVT appeared to provide a clinical benefit over EVT alone. Clinical trial registration no. NCT0377687