TY - JOUR T1 - The semiotics of distal thrombectomy: towards a TICI score for the target vessel JF - Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery JO - J NeuroIntervent Surg SP - 213 LP - 214 DO - 10.1136/neurintsurg-2018-014353 VL - 11 IS - 3 AU - Alejandro M Spiotta AU - David Fiorella AU - Adam S Arthur AU - Donald Frei AU - Aquilla S Turk AU - Joshua A Hirsch Y1 - 2019/03/01 UR - http://jnis.bmj.com/content/11/3/213.abstract N2 - The Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (TICI) grading system was first described by Higashida in 20031 and later modified.2 More recently a 2C grade (near complete, >90%) has been adopted widely (table 1).3 However, this grading system is based on the assumption that the emergent large vessel occlusion (ELVO) involves the M1 segment (or carotid terminus) and loses relevance when this is not the case. Consider a superior division M2 occlusion, for example. Assuming codominant M2 divisions, from the onset of the procedure the TICI grade would be a 2B: an endpoint indicating successful recanalization in the historical literature. If partial M2 recanalization was achieved it may still be graded as a 2B at the conclusion, rendering it impossible to decipher if progress had been made. An alternative approach would be to grade the M2 occlusion a ‘target vessel TICI’ 0. In this manner, at the procedure conclusion, whether it remained a 0 or if it were recanalized … ER -