In-room assessment of cerebral blood volume for guidance during intra-arterial thrombolytic therapy (original) (raw)

Intraprocedural parenchymal blood volume as a marker of reperfusion status in acute ischemic stroke intervention

Journal of neurointerventional surgery, 2014

Parenchymal blood volume (PBV) mapping with flat panel detectors may provide real-time estimates of tissue perfusion during endovascular ischemic stroke procedures. We present two cases of acute middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion to demonstrate how PBV may: (1) be used in acute stroke; (2) influence intraprocedural decision-making; and (3) potentially serve as a predicator of clinical outcome. Both cases were successfully recanalized with endovascular embolectomy. Intraprocedural PBV maps were obtained immediately before and after recanalization. Pre-intervention reductions in PBV were seen throughout the MCA territory in both cases, with significant improvement in PBV in one case with good radiographic and clinical outcome and a lack of improvement in PBV in the second case with a large infarct volume. PBV deficit normalization may occur with recanalization of the parent artery and probably represents successful reperfusion. Baseline PBV maps should therefore be interpreted wit...

Clinical review: Imaging in ischaemic stroke – implications for acute management

Critical Care, 2007

Imaging has become a cornerstone of stroke management, translating pathophysiological knowledge to everyday decision-making. Plain computed tomography is widely available and remains the standard for initial assessment: the technique rules out haemorrhage, visualizes the occluding thrombus and identifies early tissue hypodensity and swelling, which have different implications for thrombolysis. Based on evidence from positron emission tomography (PET), however, multimodal imaging is increasingly advocated. Computed tomography perfusion and angiography provide information on the occlusion site, on recanalization and on the extent of salvageable tissue. Magnetic resonance-based diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) has exquisite sensitivity for acute ischaemia, however, and there is increasingly robust evidence that DWI combined with perfusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (PWI) and angiography improves functional outcome by selecting appropriate patients for thrombolysis (small DWI lesion but large PWI defect) and by ruling out those who would receive no benefit or might be harmed (very large DWI lesion, no PWI defect), especially beyond the 3-hour time window. Combined DWI-PWI also helps predict malignant oedema formation and therefore helps guide selection for early brain decompression. Finally, DWI-PWI is increasingly used for patient selection in therapeutic trials. Although further methodological developments are awaited, implementing the individual pathophysiologic diagnosis based on multimodal imaging is already refining indications for thrombolysis and offers new opportunities for management of acute stroke patients.

Endovascular Treatment of Acute Stroke: Evolution and Selection of Techniques and Instruments Based on Thrombus Imaging

Mechanical thrombectomy provides higher recanalization rates than intravenous or intra-arterial thrombolysis. Finally this has been shown to translate into improved clinical outcome in six multicentric randomized controlled trials. However, within cohorts the clinical outcomes may vary, depending on the endovascular techniques applied. Systems aiming mainly for thrombus fragmentation and lacking a protection against distal embolization have shown disappointing results when compared to recent stent-retriever studies or even to historical data on local arterial fibrinolysis. Procedure-related embolic events are usually graded as adverse events in interventional neuroradiology. In stroke, however, the clinical consequences of secondary emboli have so far mostly been neglected and attributed to progression of the stroke itself. We summarize the evolution of instruments and techniques for endovascular, image-guided, microneurosurgical recanalization in acute stroke, and discuss how to av...

Advanced Neuroimaging Preceding Intravenous Thrombolysis in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients Is Safe and Effective

Journal of Clinical Medicine

Advanced neuroimaging is one of the most important means that we have in the attempt to overcome time constraints and expand the use of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT). We assessed whether, and how, the prior use of advanced neuroimaging (AN), and more specifically CT/MR perfusion post-processed with RAPID software, regardless of time from symptoms onset, affected the outcomes of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients who received IVT. Methods. We retrospectively evaluated consecutive AIS patients who received intravenous thrombolysis monotherapy (without endovascular reperfusion) during a six-year period. The study population was divided into two groups according to the neuroimaging protocol used prior to IVT administration in AIS patients (AN+ vs. AN−). Safety outcomes included any intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) and 3-month mortality. Effectiveness outcomes included door-to-needle time, neurological status (NIHSS-score) on discharge, and functional status at three months assessed by t...

Utility of Perfusion-Weighted CT Imaging in Acute Middle Cerebral Artery Stroke Treated With Intra-Arterial Thrombolysis:: Prediction of Final Infarct Volume and Clinical Outcome Editorial Comment: Prediction of Final Infarct Volume and Clinical Outcome

Stroke, 2001

Background and Purpose-The goal of this study was to evaluate the utility of perfusion-weighted CT (PWCT) in predicting final infarct volume and clinical outcome in patients with acute middle cerebral artery (MCA) stroke. Methods-Twenty-two consecutive patients with MCA stem occlusion who underwent intra-arterial thrombolysis within 6 hours of stroke onset had noncontrast CT and CT angiography with whole-brain PWCT imaging before treatment. Infarct volumes were computed from the initial PWCT and follow-up scans; clinical outcome was measured with the modified Rankin scale. Results-Initial PWCT lesion volumes correlated significantly with final infarct volume (Pϭ0.0002) and clinical outcome (Pϭ0.01). For the 10 patients with complete recanalization, the relationship between initial and final lesion volume was especially strong (R 2 ϭ0.94, PϽ0.0001, slope of regression lineϭ0.92). For those without complete recanalization, there was progression of lesion volume on follow-up imaging (R 2 ϭ0.50, Pϭ0.01, slope of regression lineϭ1.61). All patients with either initial PWCT lesion volumes Ͼ100 mL or no recanalization had poor outcomes (Rankin scores, 4 to 6). Mean admission NIH Stroke Scale scores and mean lesion volumes in the poor outcome group were significantly different compared with the good or fair outcome (Rankin scores, 0 to 3) group (21Ϯ4 versus 17Ϯ5, Pϭ0.05, and 106Ϯ79 versus 29Ϯ37 mL, Pϭ0.01). Patients with initial volumes Ͻ100 mL and partial or complete recanalization all had good (Rankin scores, 0 to 2) or fair (Rankin score, 3) outcomes.

Imaging in acute ischaemic stroke: essential for modern stroke care

Postgraduate medical journal, 2010

Stroke is the second most common cause of death worldwide and the third most common in the UK. 'Time is brain' in ischaemic stroke; early reperfusion has been shown to lead to improved clinical outcomes, yet the majority of patients with acute stroke do not attend in time for thrombolysis as it is currently licensed, hence the interest in trials extending the therapeutic window. Defining the ischaemic penumbra is of crucial importance in choosing the appropriate patients for thrombolytic therapy who attend outside the optimal therapeutic window. Integrated stroke imaging, including demonstration of potentially salvageable tissue with either MR perfusion/diffusion studies or CT perfusion, is increasingly likely to play a central role in future management strategies and widening of the potential therapeutic window. This review highlights the basic imaging findings of acute stroke and discusses the role of advanced CT and MR techniques as well as options for vascular imaging.

CT Perfusion ASPECTS in the Evaluation of Acute Ischemic Stroke: Thrombolytic Therapy Perspective

Cerebrovascular diseases extra

Advances in the management of acute ischemic stroke and medical imaging are creating pressure to replace the rigid one-third middle cerebral artery (MCA) and non-contrast-enhanced CT (NCCT) Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS) thresholds used for the selection of patients eligible for intravenous thrombolytic therapy. The identification of potentially salvageable ischemic brain tissue lies at the core of this issue. In this study, the role of CT perfusion ASPECTS in the detection of reversible ischemia was analyzed. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical and imaging data of 92 consecutive patients who received intravenous thrombolytic therapy for acute (duration <3 h) ischemic stroke. Most of the patients underwent admission multimodal CT, and all patients had follow-up NCCT at 24 h. ASPECTS was assigned to all modalities and correlated with clinical and imaging parameters. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to determine optimal thresholds...