Search

Background: Clinicians need simple and highly predictive prognostic scores to assist practical decision-making. We aimed to develop a simple outcome prediction score applied 24 hours after anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke treatment with endovascular thrombectomy and validate it in patients treated both with and without endovascular thrombectomy., Methods: Using the HERMES (Highly Effective Reperfusion Evaluated in Multiple Endovascular Stroke Trials) collaboration data set (n=1764), patients in the endovascular thrombectomy arm were divided randomly into a derivation cohort (n=430) and a validation cohort (n=441). From a set of candidate predictors, logistic regression modeling using forward variable selection was used to select a model that was both parsimonious and highly predictive for modified Rankin Scale (mRS) ≤2 at 90 days. The score was validated in validation cohort, control arm (n=893), and external validation cohorts from the ESCAPE-NA1 (Efficacy and Safety of Nerinetide for the Treatment of Acute Ischaemic Stroke; n=1066) and INTERRSeCT (Identifying New Approaches to Optimize Thrombus Characterization for Predicting Early Recanalization and Reperfusion With IV Alteplase and Other Treatments Using Serial CT Angiography; n=614)., Results: In the derivation cohort, we selected 2 significant predictors of mRS ≤2 (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score at 24 hours and age [β-coefficient, 0.34 and 0.06]) and derived the HERMES-24 score: age (years)/10+National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score at 24 hours. The HERMES-24 score was highly predictive for mRS ≤2 (c-statistic 0.907 [95% CI, 0.879-0.935]) in the derivation cohort. In the validation cohort and the control arm, the HERMES-24 score predicts mRS ≤2 (c-statistic, 0.914 [95% CI, 0.886-0.944] and 0.909 [95% CI, 0.887-0.930]). Observed provability of mRS ≤2 ranged between 3.1% and 3.4% when HERMES-24 score ≥25, while it ranged between 90.6% and 93.0% when HERMES-24 score <10 in the derivation cohort, validation cohort, and control arm. The HERMES-24 score also showed c-statistics of 0.894 and 0.889 for mRS ≤2 in the ESCAPE-NA1 and INTERRSeCT populations., Conclusions: The post-treatment HERMES-24 score is a simple validated score that predicts a 3-month outcome after anterior circulation large vessel occlusion stroke regardless of intervention, which helps prognostic discussion with families on day 2., Competing Interests: Dr Brown reports consulting for B. Braun Interventional Systems, Inc, Medtronic, MicroVention, Inc, and the University of Calgary and is employed by BRIGHT Research Partners. Dr Goyal reports grants from Medtronic, Stryker, MicroVention, and Mentice; consulting for Stryker, Microvention, and Mentice; and a patent for systems and methods for acute stroke diagnosis with GE Healthcare. Dr Menon reports stock holdings in Circle Neurovascular Imaging and compensation from Roche and Boehringer Ingelheim. Dr Campbell reports grants from Covidien, Medtronic, and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and fellowships from the National Heart Foundation of Australia, the National Stroke Foundation of Australia, and the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. Dr Mitchell reports consulting for Stryker and MicroVention and grants from Medtronic and Stryker. Dr Jovin reports consulting for Contego Medical; grants/contracts from Medtronic and Stryker; data safety monitoring board participation with Johnson & Johnson CERENOVUS; and stock holdings in Anaconda, Basking, Freeox Biotech, Galaxy, Gravity, Kandu, Methinks, Route92, StataDX, and Vizai. Dr Saver reports consulting for Abbott Laboratories, Aeromics, Biogen, Boehringer Ingelheim, BrainQ, BrainsGate, CSL Behring, Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems, Medtronic, MindRhythm, Roche, and Stream Medical; data safety monitoring board participation with MIVI Neuroscience; and stock holdings in Neuronics Medical and Rapid Medical. Dr Muir reports consulting for Boehringer Ingelheim, Bayer, and Daiichi Sankyo. Dr White reports consulting for MicroVention and grants from the UK National Institutes for Health Research, MicroVention, Stryker, Medtronic, and Penumbra. Dr Bracard reports grants from the French Ministry of Health; others from GE Medical Systems; and nonfinancial support from MicroVention Europe. Dr Roos reports stock holdings in Nicolab. Dr van Zwam reports grants/contracts from Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Stryker, and Johnson & Johnson; employment by Maastricht Universitair Medisch Centrum; and data safety monitoring board participation with Philips. Dr Hill reports consulting for BrainsGate; grants/contracts from Biogen, Boehringer Ingelheim, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Medtronic MicroVention, and NoNO; end point review committee participation with Merck; employment by the University of Calgary; and a patent for Systems and Methods for Assisting in Decision-Making and Triaging for Acute Stroke Patients with Circle Neurovascular Imaging. Dr Demchuk reports consulting for Boehringer Ingelheim, HLS Therapeutics, Hoffmann-La Roche, Medtronic, Nova-Signal, and Servier; data safety monitoring board participation with Philips and Lumosa; others from Novo Nordisk AS, Pfizer, and Astra Zeneca; and stock and patent for Stroke imaging software with Circle Neurovascular Imaging. The other authors report no conflicts.

Introduction: The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of time interval between start of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) to start of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) on stroke outcomes., Methods: Data from the Quality Improvement and Clinical Research (QuICR) provincial stroke registry from Alberta, Canada, were used to identify stroke patients who received IVT and EVT from January 2015 to December 2019. We assessed the impact of the time interval between IVT bolus to EVT puncture (needle-to-puncture times [NPT]) on outcomes. Radiological outcomes included successful initial recanalization (revised Arterial Occlusive Lesion 2b-3), successful initial and final reperfusion (modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction 2b-3). Clinical outcomes were 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and mortality., Results: Of the 680 patients, 233 patients (median age: 73, 41% females) received IVT + EVT. Median NPT was 38 min (IQR, 24-60). Arrival during working hours was independently associated with shorter NPT (p &lt; 0.001). Successful initial recanalization and initial and final reperfusion were observed in 12%, 10%, and 83% of patients, respectively. NPT was not associated with initial successful recanalization (OR 0.97 for every 10-min increase of NPT, 95% CI: 0.91-1.04), initial successful reperfusion (OR 1.01, 95% CI: 0.96-1.07), or final successful reperfusion (OR: 1.03, 95% CI: 0.97-1.08). Every 10-min delay in NPT was associated with lower odds of functional independence at 90 days (mRS ≤2; OR: 0.93; 95% CI, 0.88-0.97). Patients with shorter NPT (≤38 min) had lower 90-day mRS scores (median 1 vs. 3; OR: 0.54 [0.31-0.91]) and had lower mortality (6.1% vs. 21.2%; OR, 0.23 [0.10-0.57]) than the longer NPT group., Conclusion: Shorter NPT did not impact reperfusion outcomes but was associated with better clinical outcome., (© 2023 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Introduction: Embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) comprises a heterogenous group. There is a need to further identify etiologies within this group to guide management strategies. We examined the prevalence of aortic arch atherosclerosis (AAA) on CT angiography (CTA) in patients with embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) to characterize high-risk plaque features., Methods: All patients from two prospective multicenter acute ischemic stroke studies (INTERRSeCT and PRove-IT) were included if the CTA adequately imaged the proximal aortic arch and the stroke etiology was recorded. Three readers blinded to stroke etiology analyzed the following AAA plaque features on baseline CTA at the time of stroke: 1) thickness in millimetres (mm); 2) morphology (none, smooth, ulcerated, or protruding); 3) location within the aortic arch (proximal, transverse, or distal); and 4) calcification (none, single small, multiple small, single large, or diffuse extensive)., Results: We included 1063 patients, of which 293 (27.6%) had ESUS (mean age 67.5 years; 46.4% men; median NIHSS 12; 80.6% large vessel occlusion). Mean AAA thickness was significantly larger in ESUS patients (3.8 mm) compared to non-ESUS patients (3.0 mm; p<0.0001) and to a subgroup of patients with large artery atherosclerosis (2.9 mm; p=0.003). ESUS patients had a significantly higher proportion of ulcerated or protruding plaques (17.4% vs 10.3%; risk ratio 1.7, 95% C.I. 1.2-2.4, p=0.002). The location of AAA in the ESUS group was the ascending aorta in 37.9%, transverse arch in 42.3%, and descending aorta in 84.6%. Although AAA was mostly located in the distal aortic arch, ulcerated or protruding plaques were least common in the distal arch (p=0.002). There was no difference between ESUS and non-ESUS patients in plaque location (p=0.23) or calcification grade (p=0.092)., Conclusion: ESUS patients in our study had thicker AAA and a higher prevalence of ulcerated or protruding plaques located more proximally within the aortic arch. High-risk plaque features may suggest a causal role of AAA in the ESUS population with visible intracranial occlusions., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest All authors confirm there are no conflicts of interest. No part of this manuscript was created using artificial intelligence. The data in this manuscript has not been published in any other journal, (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Women, especially following menopause, are known to have worse outcomes following acute ischemic stroke. One primary postulated biological mechanism for worse outcomes in older women is a reduction in the vasculoprotective effects of estrogen. Using the INTERRseCT cohort, a multicentre international observational cohort studying recanalization in acute ischemic stroke, we explored the effects of sex, and modifying effects of age, on neuroradiological predictors of recanalization including robustness of leptomeningeal collaterals, thrombus burden and thrombus permeability. Ordinal regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between sex and each of the neuroradiological markers. Further, we explored both multiplicative and additive interactions between age and sex. All patients (n = 575) from INTERRseCT were included. Mean age was 70.2 years (SD: 13.1) and 48.5% were women. In the unadjusted model, female sex was associated with better collaterals (OR 1.37, 95% CIs: 1.01-1.85), however this relationship was not significant after adjusting for age and relevant comorbidities. There were no significant interactions between age and sex. In a large prospective international cohort, we found no association between sex and radiological predictors of recanalization including leptomeningeal collaterals, thrombus permeability and thrombus burden., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Dr. Field receives in-kind study medication from Bayer Canada and has received honoraria for advisory board work for HLS Therapeutics and Roche Canada. She is supported by a Sauder/Heart and Stroke Professorship from the University of British Columbia, the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, the Michael Smith Institute for Health Research, and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. Dr. Menon reported holding stock and a patent for systems of triage in acute stroke in Circle NVI. Dr. Dowlatshahi reported receiving a grant from Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada and personal fees from Apopharma, BMS, and Bayer. Dr Goyal reported receiving research grants to the University of Calgary by Stryker and Cerenovus and receiving consulting fees from Stryker, Mentice, Medtronic and Microvention. Dr. Demchuk reported receiving honoraria from Medtronic and holding stock and a patent in Circle NVI, a startup stroke imaging software company. Dr Hill reports grants from Covidien (Medtronic LLC), grants from Alberta Innovates, grants from Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada, grants from Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Canadian Stroke Prevention Intervention Network), grants from University of Calgary (Hotchkiss Brain Institute), grants from Boehringer Ingelheim Canada, grants from NoNO, Inc, and grants from Biogen. In addition, Dr Hill has a patent to US Patent office Number: 62/086,077 and is Stock owner in Pure Web Incorporated and CircleNVI. Dr. Hill is a director of the Canadian Federation of Neurological Sciences, a not-for-profit group, is a director of the Canadian Stroke Consortium, a not-for-profit group, is a director of Circle NeuroVascular, and has received public grant support to the University of Calgary from Alberta Innovates Health Solutions, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada and National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The other authors report no conflicts.

Introduction: Despite improvements in device technology, only one-third of stroke patients undergoing endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) achieve first-pass effect (FPE). We investigated the effect of arterial tortuosity and thrombus characteristics on the relationship between first-line EVT strategy and angiographic outcomes., Patients and Methods: Patients with thin-slice baseline CT-angiography from the ESCAPE-NA1 trial (Efficacy and safety of nerinetide for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke) were included. Tortuosity was estimated using the tortuosity index extracted from catheter pathway, and radiological thrombus characteristics were length, non-contrast density, perviousness and hyperdense artery sign. We assessed the association of first-line EVT strategy (stent-retriever [SR] versus contact aspiration [CA] versus combined SR+CA) with FPE (eTICI score 2c/3 after one pass), final eTICI 2b/3, number of passes and procedure duration using multivariable regression. Interaction of tortuosity and thrombus characteristics with first-line technique were assessed using interaction terms., Results: Among 520 included patients, SR as a first-line modality was used in 165 (31.7%) patients, CA in 132 (25.4%), and combined SR+CA in 223 (42.9%). FPE was observed in 166 patients (31.9%). First-line strategy was not associated with FPE. Tortuosity had a significant effect on FPE only in the CA group (aOR = 0.90 [95% CI 0.83-0.98]) compared with stent-retrievers and combined first-line approach (p interaction = 0.03). There was an interaction between thrombus length and first-line strategy for number of passes (p interaction = 0.04). Longer thrombi were associated with higher number of passes only in the CA group (acOR 1.03 [95% CI 1.00-1.06])., Conclusion: Our study suggests that vessel tortuosity and longer thrombi may negatively affect the performance of first-line contact aspiration catheters in acute stroke patients undergoing EVT.

Background: Collateral status is an indicator of a favorable outcome in stroke. Leptomeningeal collaterals provide alternative routes for brain perfusion following an arterial occlusion or flow-limiting stenosis. Using a large cohort of ischemic stroke patients, we examined the relative contribution of various demographic, laboratory, and clinical variables in explaining variability in collateral status., Methods: Patients with acute ischemic stroke in the anterior circulation were enrolled in a multi-center hospital-based observational study. Intracranial occlusions and collateral status were identified and graded using multiphase computed tomography angiography. Based on the percentage of affected territory filled by collateral supply, collaterals were graded as either poor (0-49%), good (50-99%), or optimal (100%). Between-group differences in demographic, laboratory, and clinical factors were explored using ordinal regression models. Further, we explored the contribution of measured variables in explaining variance in collateral status., Results: 386 patients with collateral status classified as poor ( n = 64), good ( n = 125), and optimal ( n = 197) were included. Median time from symptom onset to CT was 120 (IQR: 78-246) minutes. In final multivariable model, male sex (OR 1.9, 95% CIs [1.2, 2.9], p = 0.005) and leukocytosis (OR 1.1, 95% CIs [1.1, 1.2], p = 0.001) were associated with poor collaterals. Measured variables only explained 44.8-53.0% of the observed between-patient variance in collaterals., Conclusion: Male sex and leukocytosis are associated with poorer collaterals. Nearly half of the variance in collateral flow remains unexplained and could be in part due to genetic differences.

Purpose: Cortical vein opacification is not routinely assessed in patients presenting with acute ischemic stroke (AIS), and the value of temporal assessment of venous outflow is not known. We evaluated the utility of assessing cortical venous drainage over time using multiphase CT angiography (mCTA)., Methods: Cortical venous drainage was assessed in patients from the Precise and Rapid Assessment of Collaterals Using Multi-Phase CTA in the Triage of Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke for IA Therapy prospective multicenter cohort study of patients with symptoms of AIS with ICA and/or middle cerebral artery occlusion on baseline mCTA. Opacification of vein of Labbe, sphenoparietal sinus, superficial middle cerebral vein, and vein of Trolard of the affected hemisphere was graded as no (0), partial (1), or full (2) opacification in each mCTA phase. The venous opacification scores for each phase were added to generate a total venous score (TVS) (range 0-24). Primary outcome was 90-day modified Rankin score. Repeated measures analysis was used to assess the effect of phase timing on venous score on outcome., Results: Of 432 patients, 284 (65.7%) had proximal arterial occlusions. Median venous opacification score per phase (range 0-8) was 3 (IQR 1-6) in the first phase and increased in the second and third phases [median (IQR): 6 (5-8) and 8 (6-8), respectively] of the mCTA. In a multivariable analysis adjusting for age, baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, and Alberta stroke program early CT score, a significant association between TVS and 90-day mRS was noted ([adjusted cOR for TVS 6-11: 0.16 (95% CI 0.05-0.51); TVS 12-17: 0.18 (95% CI 0.06-0.57); TVS 18-24: 0.20 (0.06-0.63)]. Repeated measures analysis of venous scores from all three phases showed a significant effect of time/phase on TVS (p < 0.001)., Conclusion: This study concludes that venous opacification over time on multiphase CTA is associated with 90-day clinical outcome. There was however no added benefit of venous scoring vis-a-vis arterial collateral assessment in predicting outcome., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Multiphase CTA (mCTA) is an established tool for endovascular treatment decision-making and outcome prediction in acute ischemic stroke, but its interpretation requires some degree of experience. We aimed to determine whether mCTA-based prediction of clinical outcome and final infarct volume can be improved by assessing collateral status on time-variant mCTA color maps rather than using a conventional mCTA display format., Methods: Patients from the PRove-IT cohort study with anterior circulation large vessel occlusion were included in this study. Collateral status was assessed with a three-point scale using the conventional display format. Collateral extent and filling dynamics were then graded on a three-point scale using time-variant mCTA color-maps (FastStroke, GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI, USA). Multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine the association of conventional collateral score, color-coded collateral extent and color-coded collateral filling dynamics with good clinical outcome and final infarct volume (volume below vs. above median infarct volume in the study sample)., Results: A total of 285 patients were included in the analysis and 53% (152/285) of the patients achieved a good outcome. Median infarct volume on follow-up was 12.6 ml. Color-coded collateral extent was significantly associated with good outcome (adjusted odds ratio [ adj OR] 0.53, 95% confidence interval [CI]:0.36-0.77) while color-coded collateral filling dynamics ( adj OR 1.30 [95%CI:0.88-1.95]) and conventional collateral scoring ( adj OR 0.72 [95%C:0.48-1.08]) were not. Both color-coded collateral extent ( adj OR 2.67 [95%CI:1.80-4.00]) and conventional collateral scoring ( adj OR 1.84 [95%CI:1.21-2.79]) were significantly associated with follow-up infarct volume, while color-coded collateral filling dynamics were not ( adj OR 1.21 [95%CI:0.83-1.78])., Conclusion: In this study, collateral extent assessment on time-variant mCTA maps improved prediction of good outcome and has similar value in predicting follow-up infarct volume compared to conventional mCTA collateral grading., (© 2020. Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: To undertake an effectiveness and safety analysis of EVT in patients with LVO and NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score ≤6 using datasets of multicenter and multinational nature., Methods: We pooled patients with anterior circulation occlusion from 3 prospective international cohorts. Patients were eligible if presentation occurred within 12 hours from last known well and baseline NIHSS ≤6. Primary outcome was modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score 0-1 at 90 days. Secondary outcomes included neurologic deterioration at 24 hours (change in NIHSS of ≥2 points), mRS 0-2 at 90 days, and 90-day all-cause mortality. We used propensity score matching to adjust for nonrandomized treatment allocation., Results: Among 236 patients who fit inclusion criteria, 139 received EVT and 97 received medical management. Compared to medical management, the EVT group was younger (65 vs 72 years; p < 0.001), had more proximal occlusions ( p < 0.001), and less frequently received concurrent IV thrombolysis (57.7% vs 71.2%; p = 0.04). After propensity score matching, clinical outcomes between the 2 groups were not significantly different. EVT patients had an 8.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] -8.8% to 26.1%) higher rate of excellent 90-day outcome, despite a 22.3% (95% CI, 3.0%-41.6%) higher risk of neurologic deterioration at 24 hours., Conclusions: EVT for LVO in patients with low NIHSS score was associated with increased risk of neurologic deterioration at 24 hours. However, both EVT and medical management resulted in similar proportions of excellent clinical outcomes at 90 days., Classification of Evidence: This study provides Class III evidence that for patients with acute anterior circulation ischemic strokes and LVO with NIHSS < 6, EVT and medical management result in similar outcomes at 90 days., (© 2020 American Academy of Neurology.)

Background: The Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS) is a systematic method of assessing the extent of early ischemic change on non-contrast computed tomography in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Our objective was to validate an automated ASPECTS scoring method we recently developed on a large data set., Materials and Methods: We retrospectively collected 602 acute ischemic stroke patients' non-contrast computed tomography scans. Expert ASPECTS readings on non-contrast computed tomography were compared to automated ASPECTS. Statistical analyses on the total ASPECTS, region level ASPECTS, and dichotomized ASPECTS (≤4 vs. >4) score were conducted., Results: In total, 602 scans were evaluated and 6020 (602 × 10) ASPECTS regions were scored. Median time from stroke onset to computed tomography was 114 min (interquartile range: 73-183 min). Total ASPECTS for the 602 patients generated by the automated method agreed well with expert readings (intraclass correlation coefficient): 0.65 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.60-0.69). Region level analysis showed that the automated method yielded accuracy of 81.25%, sensitivity of 61.13% (95% CI: 58.4%-63.8%), specificity of 86.56% (95% CI: 85.6%-87.5%), and area under curve of 0.74 (95% CI: 0.73-0.75). For dichotomized ASPECTS (≤4 vs. >4), the automated method demonstrated sensitivity 97.21% (95% CI: 95.4%-98.4%), specificity 57.81% (95% CI: 44.8%-70.1%), accuracy 93.02%, and area under the curve of 0.78 (95% CI: 0.74-0.81). For each individual region (M1-6, lentiform, insula, and caudate), the automated method demonstrated acceptable performance., Conclusion: The automated system we developed approached the stroke expert in performance when scoring ASPECTS on non-contrast computed tomography scans of acute ischemic stroke patients.