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Background and purpose: Malignant middle cerebral artery infarction (MMI) is a severe complication of acute ischaemic stroke (AIS). The aim of our study was to assess whether successful reperfusion after endovascular therapy (EVT) in AIS with clinical and imaging predictors of MMI decreased its occurrence. Methods: Data were collected between January 2014 and July 2018 in a monocentric prospective AIS registry of patients treated with EVT. Patients selected were <65 years old with severe anterior circulation AIS with a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score >15, baseline Diffusion‐Weighted Imaging‐Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score ≤ 6 and baseline diffusion‐weighted imaging lesion volume >82 mL within 6 h of symptom onset. Successful reperfusion was defined as a Thrombolysis in Cerebral Ischemia score ≥ 2b. Occurrence of MMI was the primary endpoint. Results: A total of 66 EVT‐treated patients were included in our study. MMI occurred in 27 patients (41%). In unadjusted analysis, successful reperfusion was associated with fewer MMIs (31.8% vs. 65.0%; P = 0.015) and with more favorable outcome at 3 months (50% vs. 20%; P = 0.023). In multivariate analysis, successful reperfusion was associated with an adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence intervals) of 0.35 (0.10–1.12) for MMI and 2.77 (0.84–10.43) for 3‐month favorable outcome occurrence. Conclusions: Early successful reperfusion performed in patients with AIS with clinical and imaging predictors of MMI was associated with decreased MMI occurrence. Reperfusion status might be considered in evaluating the need for craniectomy in patients with early predictors of MMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Better characterization of the thrombus could be useful to determine acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) aetiology and predict response to thrombolysis and endovascular therapy (EVT). To test the hypothesis that susceptibility vessel sign (SVS) on baseline magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is related to red blood cell (RBC) content of AIS thrombi, the total haemoglobin contents (HbCs) of AIS thrombi retrieved by EVT from patients with or without SVS or two‐layered SVS (TLSVS) were compared. Methods: Baseline MRI of 84 anterior AIS patients was reviewed by neuro‐radiologists blinded to clinical and biochemical data. Thrombi from these patients were retrieved by EVT and analysed for HbC by quantitative enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay and measurement of haem concentration. Results: Susceptibility vessel sign and TLSVS were respectively observed in 85.7% and 50.0% of cases. The median HbC content was 253 µg/mg thrombus (interquartile range 177–333) and the median haem content was 219 µg/mg thrombus (131–264). Thrombus HbC and haem content were highly correlated with thrombus RBC content determined by flow cytometry (r = 0.94). Thrombi from patients with TLSVS weighed more [31.1 (16.5–68.3) mg vs. 17.7 (11.7–33.3) mg; P = 0.005] and had a higher HbC content [278 (221–331) µg/mg vs. 196 (139–301) µg/mg; P = 0.010] compared to thrombi from patients without TLSVS. There was no difference in thrombus weight or HbC content according to SVS status. Conclusions: Our study shows that TLSVS is significantly associated with a higher thrombus weight and RBC content, as determined by quantitative assays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: An external validation of the selection criteria of diffusion‐weighted imaging or computerized tomography perfusion assessment with clinical mismatch in the triage of wake‐up and late‐presenting strokes undergoing the Neurointervention with Trevo (DAWN) and the Endovascular Therapy Following Imaging Evaluation for Ischemic Stroke (DEFUSE3) trials was conducted in a cohort of unknown onset stroke (UOS) patients treated with thrombectomy. Methods: A validation cohort of UOS patients was selected from a prospectively collected thrombectomy database to match the inclusion criteria of DAWN and DEFUSE 3. Patients with an initial National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) ≥10 were stratified according to the DAWN selection criteria. Patients ≤90 years old with an initial NIHSS ≥6 were stratified according to the DEFUSE 3 selection criteria. The proportions of patients with a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) ≤2 at 3 months follow‐up were compared between DAWN‐eligible patients and the DAWN trial thrombectomy group, and between DEFUSE 3‐eligible patients and the DEFUSE 3 trial thrombectomy group. Results: Of the 60/102 (59%) DAWN‐eligible patients, 26 patients (43%) reached a mRS ≤2 at 3 months follow‐up [versus 52/107 patients (49%) in the DAWN trial thrombectomy group; P = 0.52]. Of the 100/117 (85%) DEFUSE 3‐eligible patients, 48 patients (48%) reached a mRS ≤2 at 3 months follow‐up [versus 41/92 patients (45%) in the DEFUSE 3 trial thrombectomy group; P = 0.67]. Of the DAWN‐ineligible and DEFUSE 3‐ineligible patients who underwent thrombectomy, 38% (16/42) and 41% (7/17) of patients reached a mRS ≤2, respectively. Conclusion: The results of the DAWN and DEFUSE 3 trials were externally validated in a UOS cohort where the trials' selection criteria identified a similar proportion of responders to thrombectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]