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Endovascular intervention for acute cervical carotid artery occlusion

  • Clinical Article - Vascular
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Abstract

Background

Acute cervical carotid artery occlusion presents with a severe neurological deficit and is associated with unfavorable outcomes. In this study, the authors report their experience with patients having had acute ischemic stroke due to cervical carotid occlusion, who underwent endovascular intervention.

Method

Sixteen acute cervical carotid occlusion patients (15 males and 1 female; mean age 67.7 years) were treated by endovascularly between January 2009 and November 2012. Clinical, procedural, and angiographic data were retrospectively evaluated. Successful intracranial recanalization was based on thrombolysis in cerebral infarction score of 2B-3. A favorable outcome was defined as a modified Rankin Scale score of 0–2 at 90 days.

Findings

The average score of National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale before treatment was 15.9. Ten of 16 patients (63 %) were associated with intracranial tandem occlusion. Ten (63 %) cases were caused by atherosclerotic, 4 (25 %) by atrial fibrillation (AF), and 2 (13 %) by dissection. Thirteen of 16 (81 %) achieved successful cervical recanalization and 7 of 16 (44 %) patients obtained sufficient cervical and intracranial perfusion. As a result, 5 of 16 (31 %) patients demonstrated favorable outcomes. Five of seven patients (71 %) with successful cervical and intracranial recanalization presented favorable outcomes. In contrast, none of the patients without cervical or intracranial recanalization presented favorable outcomes. Three of 6 (50 %) patients initially without intracranial occlusion showed favorable outcomes, but only 2 of 10 (20 %) patients associated with intracranial occlusion had favorable outcomes. On the aspect of etiology, in atherosclerotic cases, 4 of 10 (40 %) showed favorable outcomes. However, all four AF cases deteriorated into poor outcomes.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated the feasibility of endovascular intervention for acute cervical carotid artery occlusion. Although treatment for tandem occlusion and AF cases is an issue that should be resolved, intervention must be encouraged. Successful cervical and intracranial revascularization will be essential for favorable outcomes.

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Abbreviations

AF:

Atrial fibrillation

CAS:

Carotid artery stenting

CCA:

Common carotid artery

ECA:

External carotid artery

ICA:

Internal carotid artery

MCA:

Middle cerebral artery

mRS:

modified Rankin Scale

NIHSS:

National Institute of Health Stroke Scale

PTA:

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty

TICI:

Thrombolysis in cerebral infarction

t-PA:

Tissue plasminogen activator

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Correspondence to Shigeru Miyachi.

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Matsubara, N., Miyachi, S., Tsukamoto, N. et al. Endovascular intervention for acute cervical carotid artery occlusion. Acta Neurochir 155, 1115–1123 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-013-1697-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-013-1697-x

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