Article Text
Abstract
Background The effectiveness of transradial stroke thrombectomy has been limited by guide catheter size and lack of good balloon options. In this study we describe our technique for the use of a sheathless 8-French balloon guide catheter (Walrus) through radial access and present our initial clinical experience.
Methods This was a retrospective case series of consecutive patients who underwent mechanical thrombectomy for large vessel occlusion using the sheathless catheter over a period of 3 months. Clinical characteristics, procedural details, reperfusion success (modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (mTICI) 2b–3 grade), first-pass effect (FPE; mTICI reperfusion grade 2c or 3 with a single pass), access site complications and clinical improvement at discharge were recorded. A descriptive analysis was performed.
Results Among the 10 patients in the series, median age was 77 years (IQR 75–79) and three were women. All patients had a baseline modified Rankin Scale score ≤2. Median admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was 12.5 (IQR 9–16). Four patients received intravenous alteplase before mechanical thrombectomy. Eight patients had M1 occlusion and two had proximal M2 occlusion. The median radial artery diameter was 2.5 mm (IQR 2.5–2.7). Successful reperfusion was achieved in all patients. FPE was achieved in six patients. No access site-related complications or post-procedural intracranial hemorrhages occurred. All patients had improvement in NIHSS score at discharge.
Conclusions The use of this sheathless catheter for transradial access was safe and feasible. The technique can potentially improve the outcomes of transradial access for stroke intervention.
- device
- stroke
- technique
- thrombectomy
- catheter
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Footnotes
RHD and MW are joint first authors.
Contributors Conception and design: RHD, MW, AM. Acquisition of data: RHD, AM. Analysis and interpretation of data: all authors. Drafting the manuscript: RHD, MW, AM. Critically revising the manuscript: all authors. Review of submitted version of manuscript: all authors.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests KVS: Consulting and teaching for Canon Medical Systems Corporation, Penumbra, Medtronic, and Jacobs Institute; Co-Founder: Neurovascular Diagnostics. EIL: Shareholder/Ownership interests: NeXtGen Biologics, RAPID Medical, Claret Medical, Cognition Medical, Imperative Care (formerly the Stroke Project), Rebound Therapeutics, StimMed, Three Rivers Medical; National Principal Investigator/Steering Committees: Medtronic (merged with Covidien Neurovascular) SWIFT Prime and SWIFT Direct Trials; Honoraria: Medtronic (training and lectures); Consultant: Claret Medical, GLG Consulting, Guidepoint Global, Imperative Care, Medtronic, Rebound, StimMed; Advisory Board: Stryker (AIS Clinical Advisory Board), NeXtGen Biologics, MEDX, Cognition Medical, Endostream Medical; Site Principal Investigator: CONFIDENCE study (MicroVention), STRATIS Study—Sub I (Medtronic). AHS: Financial Interest/Investor/Stock Options/Ownership: Adona Medical, Amnis Therapeutics, Bend IT Technologies, BlinkTBI, Buffalo Technology Partners, Cardinal Consultants, Cerebrotech Medical Systems, Cerevatech Medical, Cognition Medical, CVAID, Endostream Medical, Imperative Care, Instylla, International Medical Distribution Partners, Launch NY, NeuroRadial Technologies, Neurotechnology Investors, Neurovascular Diagnostics, PerFlow Medical, Q’Apel Medical, QAS.ai, Radical Catheter Technologies, Rebound Therapeutics Corp (purchased 2019 by Integra Lifesciences Corp), Rist Neurovascular (purchased 2020 by Medtronic), Sense Diagnostics, Serenity Medical, Silk Road Medical, SongBird Therapy, Spinnaker Medical, StimMed, Synchron, Three Rivers Medical, Truvic Medical, Tulavi Therapeutics, Vastrax, VICIS, Viseon; Consultant/Advisory Board: Amnis Therapeutics, Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Boston Scientific, Canon Medical Systems USA, Cardinal Health 200, Cerebrotech Medical Systems, Cerenovus, Cerevatech Medical, Cordis, Corindus, Endostream Medical, Imperative Care, Integra, IRRAS AB, Medtronic, MicroVention, Minnetronix Neuro, Penumbra, Q’Apel Medical, Rapid Medical, Rebound Therapeutics Corp, Serenity Medical, Silk Road Medical, StimMed, Stryker Neurovascular, Three Rivers Medical, VasSol, Viz.ai, W L Gore & Associates; National PI/Steering Committees: Cerenovus EXCELLENT and ARISE II Trial; Medtronic SWIFT PRIME, VANTAGE, EMBOLISE and SWIFT DIRECT Trials; MicroVention FRED Trial and CONFIDENCE Study; MUSC POSITIVE Trial; Penumbra 3D Separator Trial, COMPASS Trial, INVEST Trial, MIVI neuroscience EVAQ Trial; Rapid Medical SUCCESS Trial; InspireMD C-GUARDIANS IDE Pivotal Trial. Board membership: Secretary, Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS) Board of Directors. JMD: Research grant: National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under award number KL2TR001413 to the University at Buffalo. Consulting: Medtronic; Honoraria: Neurotrauma Science; Shareholder/Ownership interests: Cerebrotech, RIST Neurovascular.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.