A multicenter prospective registry of Borden type I dural arteriovenous fistula: results of a 3-year follow-up study

PURPOSE: Although intracranial dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) without retrograde leptomeningeal venous drainage (Borden type I) is reported to have a benign nature, no study has prospectively determined its clinical course. Here, we report a 3-year prospective observational study of Borden type I DAVF. METHODS: From April 2013 to March 2016, consecutive patients with DAVF were screened at 13 study institutions. We collected data on baseline characteristics, clinical symptoms, angiography, and neuroimaging. Patients with Borden type I DAVF received conservative care while palliative intervention was considered when the neurological symptoms were intolerable, and were followed at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months after inclusion. RESULTS: During the study period, 110 patients with intracranial DAVF were screened and 28 patients with Borden type I DAVF were prospectively followed. None of the patients had conversion to higher type of Borden classification or intracranial hemorrhage during follow-up. Five patients showed spontaneous improvement or disappearance of neurological symptoms (5/28, 17.9%), and 5 patients showed a spontaneous decrease or disappearance of shunt flow on imaging during follow-up (5/28, 17.9%). Stenosis or occlusion of the draining sinuses on initial angiography was significantly associated with shunt flow reduction during follow-up (80.0% vs 21.7%, p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: In this 3-year prospective study, patients with Borden type I DAVF showed benign clinical course; none of these patients experienced conversion to higher type of Borden classification or intracranial hemorrhage. The restrictive changes of the draining sinuses at initial diagnosis might be an imaging biomarker for future shunt flow reduction

Effectiveness of Preradiosurgical Embolization with NBCA for Arteriovenous Malformations - Retrospective Outcome Analysis in a Japanese Registry of 73 Patients (J-REAL study)

PurposeRecent reports have posed doubts about the effect of preradiosurgical embolization in brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM) because it makes the planning of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) difficult and has the risk of recanalization out of the target. We investigated whether the performance and quality of embolization may influence the success of SRS based on a retrospective case cohort study.Materials and MethodsSeventy-three patients who underwent embolization followed by SRS between 2003 and 2012 in eight institutes with neurointerventionists were considered. They were divided into the following two groups at 3 years of follow up after the final SRS: “successful occlusion group” (S group), with radiologically complete occlusion of AVM; and “non-successful occlusion group” (N group) with persistent remnant nidus or abnormal vascular networks. Patient background, AVM profile, embolization performance grade and complications were compared in each group. The quality of embolization was evaluated with the new grading system: embolization performance grade (E grade), specializing the achievement of nidus embolization. E grade A was defined as sufficient nidus embolization with more than half of the total number of feeders achieving nidus penetration. E grade B was defined as less than half achievement of nidus embolization, and E grade C was defines as failure to perform nidus embolization.ResultsForty-three patients were included in the S group, and 29 patients were included in the N group. The size and Spetzler-Martin grade of AVM and the rate of diffuse type was higher in the N group without statistical significance. The embolization performance level according to E grade indicated a significantly higher rate of successful embolization with more than 50% of nidus penetration in the S group (P<0.001). This difference was also confirmed in the subanalysis for limited cases, excluding smaller AVMs with complete occlusion with SRS alone (P=0.001).ConclusionThe cause of the unsuccessful result of post-embolization SRS might be the large, diffuse angioarchitecture, but proper embolization with a high rate of nidus penetration to avoid recanalization is more important. Effective embolization is essential to contribute to and promote the effect of radiosurgery

A comparison of the prevalence and risk factors of complications in intracranial tumor embolization between the Japanese Registry of NeuroEndovascular Therapy 2 (JR-NET2) and JR-NET3

BACKGROUND: The Japanese Registry of NeuroEndovascular Therapy 2 (JR-NET2) and 3 (JR-NET3) were nationwide surveys that evaluated clinical outcomes after neuroendovascular therapy in Japan. The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence and risk factors of complications of intracranial tumor embolization between JR-NET2 and JR-NET3. METHODS: A total of 1018 and 1545 consecutive patients with intracranial tumors treated with embolization were enrolled in JR-NET2 and JR-NET3, respectively. The prevalence of complications in intracranial tumor embolization and related risk factors were compared between JR-NET2 and JR-NET3. RESULTS: The prevalence of complications in JR-NET3 (3.69%) was significantly higher than that in JR-NET2 (1.48%) (p = 0.002). The multivariate analysis in JR-NET2 showed that embolization for tumors other than meningioma was the only significant risk factor for complication (odds ratio [OR], 3.88; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13-12.10; p = 0.032), and that in JR-NET3 revealed that embolization for feeders other than external carotid artery (ECA) (OR, 3.56; 95% CI, 2.03-6.25; p  CONCLUSIONS: Embolization for feeders other than ECA and use of liquid materials could increase the complication rate in intracranial tumor embolization

Successful flow reduction surgery for a ruptured true posterior communicating artery aneurysm caused by the common carotid artery ligation for epistaxis.

[Background]: Carotid artery occlusion can lead to the development of rare true posterior communicating artery (PCoA) aneurysms because of hemodynamic stress on the PCoA. Surgical treatment of these lesions is challenging. [Case Description]: The authors report a case of a true PCoA aneurysm that developed and ruptured 37 years after ligation of the ipsilateral common carotid artery for epistaxis. The lesion was successfully treated with clipping of the distal M1 segment of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) after the occipital artery-radial artery free graft-MCA bypass, which led to extreme reduction in collateral flow through the PCoA. A cortical branch, located just proximal to the obliteration site, functioned as a sufficient flow outlet. The aneurysm shrank, and the patient has been doing well without any symptoms for 5 years after surgery. [Conclusions]: M1 obliteration combined with high-flow extra-intracranial bypass might be a promising option for a true PCoA aneurysm, and therapeutic design that leaves a sufficient flow outlet on the M1 is mandatory to avoid unexpected occlusion of the M1 and its perforators

Parent Artery Occlusion for Unruptured Cerebral Aneurysms: Results of the Japanese Registry of Neuroendovascular Therapy 3

Although the current standard treatment for unruptured aneurysms comprises surgical clipping or endovascular coiling, these techniques are not suitable for some cases, such as large, giant, and fusiform aneurysms. Endovascular parent artery occlusion (PAO), which includes internal trapping and proximal occlusion, is a well-established alternative treatment for such cases. Here, we retrospectively reviewed PAO cases from the Japanese Registry of Neuroendovascular Therapy 3, a nation-wide survey of all neuroendovascular therapy cases between 2010 and 2014. This dataset included 274 procedures with a mean patient age of 57.1 years and 55.4% female patients. For the treatment strategy, internal trapping was selected in 213 aneurysm cases (77.7%) and proximal occlusion in 61 aneurysm cases (22.2%). Most of the procedures were successfully completed (272/274: 99.2%). Immediately after treatment, angiographical complete occlusion was achieved in 248 cases (90.5%). Although the feasibility of this technique was excellent, there were 60 periprocedural complications (21.8%), including 48 ischemic complications (17.5%), seven hemorrhagic complications (2.5%). Overall, morbidity and mortality at 30 days postoperative were 5.8% and 0.7%, respectively. Among the pretreatment variables, a patient age of 70 and older was associated with ischemic complications [odds ratio (OR); 2.34, 95% confidence interval (CI); 1.02–5.25; P = 0.04] and a small aneurysm size (<5 mm) was associated with hemorrhagic complications (OR; 9.85, 95% CI; 1.07–221.0; P = 0.04) by multivariate analysis. In conclusion, PAO for unruptured cerebral aneurysms is feasible, but is associated with a complication rate of approximately 20%. Various alternative treatment options should be carefully considered with deconstructive strategies

Mechanical Thrombectomy Beyond 2b Reperfusion: Should We Pursue a Higher Reperfusion Grade after Achievement of 2b?

Background Extended thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (eTICI) 2c/3 reperfusion after mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is associated with better stroke outcomes than eTICI 2b. Whether additional MT attempt after achieving eTICI 2b (beyond 2b attempt) leads to better outcomes is unknown. Methods Consecutive patients with acute anterior circulation stroke who achieved eTICI 2b during MT were divided into 2 groups: those who further tried MT (beyond‐2b group) and those without (nonbeyond‐2b group). The patients who directly achieved eTICI 2c/3 without experiencing 2b (direct‐2c/3 group) were also studied. The outcomes included the reperfusion status, favorable outcome (3‐month modified Rankin scale score of 0–2), neurological improvement (a ≥10‐point decrease of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score from baseline or the score of 0) at 24 hours and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. Results Of 308 patients, 50 were in the beyond‐2b group, 87 in the nonbeyond‐2b group, and the remaining 171 in the direct‐2c/3 group. Perfusion of middle cerebral artery branches supplying the primary motor cortex was worse in the beyond‐2b than the nonbeyond‐2b group at the time of eTICI 2b (P=0.007). Favorable outcome was similarly common (48% for each, P=0.40). Neurological improvement was more frequent (52% versus 37%; P=0.04) and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage tended to be more common (6% versus 1%, P=0.11) in the beyond‐2b than the nonbeyond‐2b group. Eighteen patients (36%) in the beyond‐2b group finally achieved eTICI 2c/3; 10 of these (56%) and 14 of the remaining 32 (44%) had favorable outcome (P=0.83). The former rate was similar to that in the direct‐2c/3 group (58%; P=0.99). Conclusions Patients undergoing additional MT attempt after achieving eTICI 2b had numerically but not significantly more symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage and showed a similar level of functional outcome at 3 months than those who did not. When eTICI 2c/3 was finally achieved by additional attempts, functional outcome was similar with that of patients who directly achieved eTICI 2c/3 without experiencing 2b. Clinical Trial Registration Information URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02251665