Long‐Term Stability of Patients Undergoing Endovascular Parent Artery Occlusion of Their Intracranial Artery

Background Although endovascular parent artery occlusion (PAO) of the intracranial artery is a well‐established treatment option, the long‐term stability of cerebral blood flow remains a concern. This study aimed to evaluate the long‐term clinical and radiological outcomes of patients who underwent PAO. Methods The patients who underwent endovascular PAO of their internal carotid or vertebral artery (VA) between April 2011 and March 2022 were included in this observational study. Information about patient characteristics, details of the endovascular treatment, and clinical and radiological follow‐up were collected. Results The study included a total of 104 cases (average age, 52.9±12.6 years old; men, 73 [70.2%] cases; 95 [91.3%] VA PAO cases) from 8 centers. Most cases were performed in an emergency condition, such as ruptured VA dissecting aneurysm (73 cases [70.2%]). PAO was successful in all cases. Early stroke (within 30 days) occurred in 33 (31.7%) cases (31 cases in VA PAO and 2 cases in internal carotid PAO) with ischemic stroke (29 cases) comprising the largest group. Clinical follow‐up over 1 month was available in 85 cases. During an average follow‐up period of 45.8±25.8 months, 1 case of VA PAO experienced a stroke without functional deterioration. Imaging follow‐up was performed in 75 cases. Recanalization of the occluded VA was observed in 2 cases. The remaining image change was contralateral VA stenosis after VA PAO. The incidence of clinical and radiological events was 1.2% and 1.1% per patient‐year, respectively. Conclusion Once the patients surpass the acute phase after PAO, their mid‐ to long‐term course was stable. The risk of late stroke or de novo aneurysm formation was lower than expected in the literature, and the direct comparison to novel reconstructive techniques is warranted in future studies. Clinical Trial Registration information: https://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/index.html, trial ID: UMIN000045160

Aspiration Versus Stent‐Retriever as First‐Line Endovascular Therapy Technique for Primary Medium and Distal Intracranial Occlusions: A Propensity‐Score Matched Multicenter Analysis

Background For acute proximal intracranial artery occlusions, contact aspiration may be more effective than stent‐retriever for first‐line reperfusion therapy. Due to the lack of data regarding medium vessel occlusion thrombectomy, we evaluated outcomes according to first‐line technique in a large, multicenter registry. Methods Imaging, procedural, and clinical outcomes of patients with acute proximal medium vessel occlusions (M2, A1, or P1) or distal medium vessel occlusions (M3, A2, P2, or further) treated at 37 sites in 10 countries were analyzed according to first‐line endovascular technique (stent‐retriever versus aspiration). Multivariable logistic regression and propensity‐score matching were used to estimate the odds of the primary outcome, expanded Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction score of 2b–3 (“successful recanalization”), as well as secondary outcomes (first‐pass effect, expanded Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction 2c‐3, intracerebral hemorrhage, and 90‐day modified Rankin scale, 90‐day mortality) between treatment groups. Results Of the 440 included patients (44.5% stent‐retriever versus 55.5% aspiration), those treated with stent‐retriever had lower baseline Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Scale scores (median 8 versus 9; P<0.01), higher National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores (median 13 versus 11; P=0.02), and nonsignificantly fewer medium‐distal occlusions (M3, A2, P2, or other: 17.4% versus 23.8%; P=0.10). Use of a stent‐retriever was associated with 15% lower odds of successful recanalization (odds ratio [OR], 0.85; [95% CI 0.74–0.98]; P=0.02), but this was not significant after multivariable adjustment in the total cohort (adjusted OR, 0.88; [95% CI 0.72–1.09]; P=0.24), or in the propensity‐score matched cohort (n=105 in each group) (adjusted OR, 0.94; [95% CI 0.75–1.18]; P=0.60). There was no significant association between technique and secondary outcomes in the propensity‐score matched adjusted models. Conclusion In this large, diverse, multinational medium vessel occlusion cohort, we found no significant difference in imaging or clinical outcomes with aspiration versus stent‐retriever thrombectomy