Intravenous Thrombolysis before Thrombectomy may Increase the Incidence of Intracranial Hemorrhage inTreating Carotid T Occlusion

Since there seems to be no protocol on how to treat strokes you will need to ask your stroke hospital EXACTLY THE FORM OF STROKE TO HAVE TO BE TREATED PROPERLY. Your responsibility is to match your stroke with what your stroke hospital can handle. Not the other way around where your stroke hospital competently handles all types of strokes. Good luck with that. 

Intravenous Thrombolysis before Thrombectomy may Increase the Incidence of Intracranial Hemorrhage inTreating Carotid T Occlusion

• Mingyang Du, MD ¹
• Shun Li, MD ¹
• Xianjun Huang, MD
• 
  
• Hongquan Guo, MD
• Gelin Xu, MD, PhD
• Xinfeng Liu, MD, PhD
• Show all authors
• Show footnotes

Published:December 01, 2020DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2020.105473

Abstract

Background and Purpose

Current evidence does not agree on the merits of direct and bridging thrombectomy. This study aimed to compare the safety and efficacy of direct thrombectomy (DT) and bridging thrombectomy (BT) in treating patients with acute ischaemic stroke due to carotid T occlusion.

Methods

Patients with stroke due to carotid T occlusion who were treated with DT or BT were retrospectively collected from four advanced stroke centres. Baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes were compared between the groups. Successful recanalization was defined by a modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (mTICI) score of 2b or 3. A favourable outcome was defined by a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 0–2 at 90 days after stroke onset(tyranny of low expectations here, this is NOT GOOD ENOUGH). Multivariable analysis was performed to control for potential confounders.

Results

Of the 111 enrolled patients, 57 (51.4%) patients were treated with DT, and 54 (48.6%) were treated with BT. Patients treated with DT had a shorter imaging to puncture (ITP) time (53 min versus 92 min, P<0.001) and symptom onset to puncture (OTP) time (198 min versus 218 min, P=0.045) than patients treated with BT. No significant difference was detected concerning the rate of successful recanalization (80.7% versus 77.8%, P=0.704) or a favourable outcome between patients treated with DT and BT (35.1% versus 33.3%, P=0.846). Patients treated with DT had a lower intracranial haemorrhage (ICH) rate (40.4% versus 59.3%, P=0.046), but the difference was not significant for symptomatic ICH (sICH, 12.3% versus 16.7%, P=0.511) or asymptomatic ICH (aICH, 28.1% versus 42.6%, P=0.109). After adjusting for potential confounding factors, the ratio of favorable prognosis, successful reperfusion, sICH and mortality did not differ between the two groups. However, there was a higher rate of ICH (OR=2.492, 95% CI 1.005 to 6.180, p=0.049) in the BT group as compared with the DT group.

Conclusions

DT seems equivalent to BT in treating stroke due to carotid T occlusion in favorable outcome, successful recanalization, 90-day morality and sICH. However, BT may increase the incidence of ICH in this specific type stroke.

Key Words

• Acute ischaemic stroke
• carotid T occlusion
• thrombectomy
• intravenous thrombolysis

To read this article in full you will need to make a payment

Purchase one-time access