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Case series
Thromboaspiration technique as first approach for endovascular treatment of acute ischemic stroke: initial experience at nine Italian stroke centers
  1. D G Romano1,
  2. S Cioni1,
  3. S L Vinci2,
  4. G Pero3,
  5. C Comelli4,
  6. A Comai5,
  7. S Peschillo6,
  8. D Mardighian7,
  9. L Castellan8,
  10. F Resta9,
  11. M G Piano3,
  12. S Comelli4,
  13. L Barletta8,
  14. A Puliti1,
  15. S Leonini1,
  16. S Bracco1
  1. 1Department of Neurological Sciences, Division of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, University Hospital of Siena, Italy
  2. 2Neuroradiology Unit, Department of Radiological Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
  3. 3Neuroradiology Department, Niguarda Ca’ Granda Hospital, Milan, Italy
  4. 4Department of Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, S. Giovanni Bosco Emergencies Hospital, Turin, Italy
  5. 5Department of Radiology, Central Hospital of Bolzano, Italy
  6. 6Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Endovascular Neurosurgery/Interventional Neuroradiology, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Rome, Italy
  7. 7Department of Neuroradiology, Spedali Civili, University of Brescia, Italy
  8. 8Neuroradiology Unit, San Martino Hospital-IST-IRCCS, Genoa, Italy
  9. 9Department of Cardiology, University of Bari, Bari, Italy
  1. Correspondence to Dr Daniele G Romano, Neuroimaging and Neurointerventional Department, Aous Siena, Viale M Bracci 2, Siena 53100, Italy; dr.80{at}live.it

Abstract

Background and purpose Aspiration thrombectomy of large vessel occlusions has made a comeback among recanalization techniques thanks to recent advances in catheter technology resulting in faster recanalization and promising clinical results when used either alone or as an adjunct to stent retriever. This multicenter retrospective study reports angiographic data, complications, and clinical outcome in patients treated with aspiration thrombectomy as the first-line option.

Materials and methods We analysed the clinical and procedural data of patients treated from January 2014 to March 2015. Recanalization was assessed according to the Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction score. Clinical outcome was evaluated at discharge and after 3 months.

Results Overall, 152 patients (mean age 68 years) were treated. Sites of occlusion were 90.8% anterior circulation (including 16.4% tandem extracranial/intracranial occlusions) and 9.2% basilar artery. In 79 patients administration of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator was attempted. Recanalization of the target vessel was obtained in 115/152 cases (75.6%) whereas direct aspiration alone was successful in 83/152 cases (54.6%) with an average puncture to revascularization time of 44.67 min. Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage occurred in 7.8% and embolization to new territories in 1.9%. 77 patients (50.6%) had a good outcome at 90-day follow-up: 55/96 in the direct aspiration alone group and 22/56 in the aspiration-stent retriever group.

Conclusions Direct aspiration thrombectomy appears a feasible technique with good revascularization results achieved in more than half the patients. In light of the self-reported data, inhomogeneous patient selection, absence of a core imaging laboratory, and a non-standardized approach, the results should be validated in a larger trial.

  • Stroke
  • Angiography
  • Device
  • Thrombectomy

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Footnotes

  • Twitter Follow Guglielmo Pero at @guglielmopero

  • Contributors All authors contributed to the work presented through study design, manuscript composition and critical review.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Patient consent Obtained.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.