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Introduction The US Woven EndoBridge Intra-saccular Therapy (WEB-IT) study is a pivotal, prospective, single arm, investigational device exemption study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the WEB device for the treatment of wide neck bifurcation aneurysms (WNBAs). We present complete 5 year data for the cohort of 150 patients. Methods 150 patients with WNBAs were enrolled at 21 US and six international centers. Imaging from the index procedure, 6 month, 1 year, 3 year, and 5 year follow-up were reviewed by a core laboratory. Adverse events were reviewed and adjudicated by a clinical events adjudicator. Results 83 patients had 5 year follow-up imaging and 123 had clinical follow-up. No ruptured (0/9) or unruptured aneurysm (0/141) rebled or bled during follow-up. No new device or procedure related adverse events or serious adverse events were reported after 1 year. At 5 years, using the LOCF method, complete occlusion was observed in 58.1% and adequate occlusion in 87.2% of patients. For patients with both 1 year and 5 year occlusion statuses available, 76.8% (63/82) of aneurysms remained stable or improved with no retreatment. After 1 year, 18 aneurysms were retreated, 11 of which were adequately occluded at 1 year, and 15 of which were retreated in the absence of any deterioration in occlusion grade. Conclusions Five year follow-up data from the WEB-IT study demonstrated that the WEB device was safe and effective when used in the treatment of WNBAs. Aneurysm occlusion rates achieved at 1 year follow-up were durable, with rates of progressive thrombosis far exceeding rates of recurrence over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives COVID-19 presents a risk for delays to stroke treatment. We examined how COVID-19 affected stroke response times. Methods A literature search was conducted to identify articles covering stroke during COVID-19 that included time metrics data pre- and post-pandemic. For each outcome, pooled relative change from baseline and 95% CI were calculated using random-effects models. Heterogeneity was explored through subgroup analyses comparing comprehensive stroke centers (CSCs) to non-CSCs. Results 38 included studies reported on 6109 patients during COVID- 19 and 14 637 patients during the pre-COVID period. Pooled increases of 20.9% (95% CI 5.8% to 36.1%) in last-known-well (LKW) to arrival times, 1.2% (-2.9% to 5.3%) in door-to-imaging (DTI), 0.8% (-2.9% to 4.5%) in door-to-needle (DTN), 2.8% (-5.0% to 10.6%) in door-to-groin (DTG), and 19.7% (11.1% to 28.2%) in door-to-reperfusion (DTR) times were observed during COVID-19. At CSCs, LKW increased by 24.0% (-0.3% to 48.2%), DTI increased by 1.6% (-3.0% to 6.1%), DTN increased by 3.6% (1.2% to 6.0%), DTG increased by 4.6% (-5.9% to 15.1%), and DTR increased by 21.2% (12.3% to 30.1%). At non-CSCs, LKW increased by 12.4% (-1.0% to 25.7%), DTI increased by 0.2% (-2.0% to 2.4%), DTN decreased by -4.6% (-11.9% to 2.7%), DTG decreased by -0.6% (-8.3% to 7.1%), and DTR increased by 0.5% (-31.0% to 32.0%). The increases during COVID-19 in LKW (p=0.01) and DTR (p=0.00) were statistically significant, as was the difference in DTN delays between CSCs and non-CSCs (p=0.04). Conclusions Factors during COVID-19 resulted in significantly delayed LKW and DTR, and mild delays in DTI, DTN, and DTG. CSCs experience more pronounced delays than non-CSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background We aimed to evaluate if vertebrobasilar anatomic variations impact reperfusion and outcome in intra-arterial therapy (IAT) for basilar artery occlusion (BAO). Methods Consecutive BAO patients with symptom onset <24 h treated with IAT were included. Vertebral artery (VA) V3 and posterior communicating artery (PCoA) diameters were measured (CT angiography or MR angiography). The presence of PCoA atresia, VA hypoplasia, VAs that end in the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA), and extracranial VA occlusion was recorded. Results 38 BAO patients were included. Mean age was 63±15 years; 52% were men. Baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was 21±9, and mean/median time from symptom onset to IAT were 10/7 h. First generation thrombectomy devices were mostly used. Overall Treatment in Cerebral Ischemia 2b-3 reperfusion was 68.4%. Good outcome (modified Rankin Scale score ≤2) was observed in 17.8% and mortality in 64.3% of cases at 90 days. 55% of patients had an atretic PCoA while 47% had a hypoplastic VA. The mean sum of the bilateral PCoA and VA diameters were 2.3±1.2 and 5.2 ±5.2 mm, respectively. VAs that end in the PICA was noted in 23% of patients, and extracranial VA occlusion in 42%. BAO was proximal/mid/distal in 36%/29%/34%. Multivariate linear regression analysis indicated hypertensive disease (β=2.97; 95% CI 1.15 to 4.79; p<0.01) and reperfusion rate (β=−0.40; 95% CI −0.74 to −0.70; p=0.02) independently associated with outcome. Multivariate analysis for predictors of reperfusion failed to identify other associations. A trend for better reperfusion with stent retrievers was noted (β=1.82; 95% CI −0.24 to 3.88; p=0.08). Conclusions Reperfusion emerged as a predictor of good outcome in patients that underwent IAT for BAO. Angioarchitectural variations of the posterior circulation were not found to impact reperfusion or clinical outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Intractable hemorrhage of the nasal or oropharyngeal cavities can be life threatening, and endovascular embolization is one of the few effective treatments for severe recurrent bleeds. Traditionally, embolic particles have been used for transarterial embolization. Objective To investigate the safety and efficacy of a less commonly performed treatment--namely, feeding artery occlusion with liquid embolic agents. Methods We retrospectively reviewed our neurointerventional database for patients who had undergone transarterial embolization for intractable nasal and oropharyngeal hemorrhage with Onyx, N-butyl-2 cyanoacrylate (n-BCA) glue, or both, at our institution over a 5-year period from 2008 to 2013. Results Forty-six patients who underwent a total of 51 procedures met the inclusion criteria. Causes of hemorrhage included neoplasm n=35 (68.6%), trauma n=12 (23.5%), and idiopathic n=4 (7.9%). The bleeding was oropharyngeal in 66.7%, nasal in 29.4%, and 3.9% originated from both sites. Embolic agents used were n-BCA in 26 cases (51.0%), Onyx in 22 cases (43.1%), and both agents in three cases (5.9%). Mean total procedural time was 93.1 min (range 34-323 min), and mean fluoroscopy time was 39.1 min (10-121 min). Mean follow-up time was 7.4 months (0.25-36 months). Five of the 46 patients (10.9%) required re-embolization and one (2.0%) rebled during the same hospital stay. One periprocedural cardiovascular adverse event occurred that was unrelated to the embolic agent used, but no other complications were seen. Conclusions Transarterial embolization with n-BCA or Onyx is a safe and effective treatment for patients with intractable nasal and oropharyngeal hemorrhage. Further prospective studies are warranted to confirm these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Periprocedural intracranial hemorrhage secondary to intranidal flow redirection may develop after arteriovenous malformation (AVM) embolization. We hypothesized that continuous draining vein pressure monitoring may identify clinically relevant hemodynamic changes during devascularization. Our goal was to characterize the draining vein pressures in a swine rete mirabile AVM model during embolization with Onyx. Methods An acute swine AVM model was constructed in six animals. Baseline, transoperative and final AVM area measurements were used to determine the degree of AVM embolization. Continuous video recordings were captured at 10 s intervals of active embolization. Draining vein pressure, arterial feeder pressure and heart rate were continuously monitored. Results The baseline and post-embolization mean draining vein pressures were 49.8±17.2 and 33.0 ±11.7 mm Hg ( p=0.01), mean arterial pressures were 79.8±19.4 and 79.6±25.2 mm Hg ( p=0.94), mean transnidal pressures were 35.8±19.7 and 45.4 ±33.7 mm Hg (p=0.37) and mean heart rates were 81.1±11.9 and 83.1±12.8 bpm ( p=0.38), respectively. The draining vein pressure was averaged according to the degree of AVM embolization and represented as a relative change compared with the baseline draining vein pressure, and the slopes were found to decrease in all cases ( p=0.02). In half of the animals the draining vein pressure decreased progressively as the AVM was embolized. In the remaining animals the venous pressure only started to decline after the AVM had been devascularized by > 50%. Conclusions The draining vein pressure response during Onyx embolization in the swine AVM model is heterogeneous. Continuous draining vein pressure monitoring is feasible and may potentially identify clinically relevant hemodynamic changes during AVM embolization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]