Campbell, B. C.V. et al. (2019) Penumbral imaging and functional outcome in patients with anterior circulation ischaemic stroke treated with endovascular thrombectomy versus medical therapy: a meta-analysis of individual patient-level data.ABSTRACT Background: CT-perfusion (CTP) and MRI may assist patient selection for endovascular thrombectomy. We aimed to establish whether imaging assessments of ischaemic core and penumbra volumes were associated with functional outcomes and treatment effect.

Campbell, B. C. V. et al. (2018) Effect of general anaesthesia on functional outcome in patients with anterior circulation ischaemic stroke having endovascular thrombectomy versus standard care: a meta-analysis of individual patient data. Lancet Neurology, 17(1), pp. 47-53. (doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(17)30407-6) This is the author's final accepted version.There may be differences between this version and the published version. You are advised to consult the publisher's version if you wish to cite from it.http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/149670/ variables. An alternative approach using propensity-score stratification was also used. To account for between-trial variance we used mixed-effects modeling with a random effect for trial incorporated in all models. Bias was assessed using the Cochrane tool.Findings: Of 1764 patients in 7 trials, 871 were allocated to endovascular thrombectomy. After exclusion of 74 patients (72 who did not undergo the procedure and 2 with missing data on anaesthetic strategy), 236/797 (30%) of endovascular patients were treated under GA. At baseline, GA patients were younger and had shorter time to randomisation but similar pre-treatment clinical severity compared to non-GA. Endovascular thrombectomy improved functional outcome at 3 months versus standard care in both GA (adjusted common odds ratio (cOR) 1·52, 95%CI 1·09-2·11, p=0·014) and non-GA (adjusted cOR 2·33, 95%CI 1·75-3·10, p<0·001) patients. However, outcomes were significantly better for those treated under non-GA versus GA (covariate-adjusted cOR 1·53, 95%CI 1·14-2·04, p=0·004; propensitystratified cOR 1·44 95%CI 1·08-1·92, p=0·012). The risk of bias and variability among studies was assessed to be low.Interpretation: Worse outcomes after endovascular thrombectomy were associated with GA, after adjustment for baseline prognostic variables. These data support avoidance of GA whenever possible. The procedure did, however, remain effective versus standard care in patients treated under GA, indicating that treatment should not be withheld in those who require anaesthesia for medical reasons. Funding:The HERMES collaboration was funded by an unrestricted grant from Medtronic to the University of Calgary. Research in contextEvidence before this study between abolition of the thrombectomy treatment effect in MR CLEAN and no effect in THRACE. Three single-centre randomised trials of general anaesthesia versus conscious sedation found either no difference in functional outcome between groups or a slight benefit of general anaesthesia. Added value of this studyThese data from contemporary, high quality randomised trials form the largest study to date of the association between general anesthesia and the benefit of endovascular thrombectomy versus standard care. We used two different approaches to adjust for baseline imbalances (multivariable logistic regression and propensity-score stratification). We found that GA for endovascular thrombectomy, as practiced in contemporary clinical care across a wide range of expert centres during the rand...

BackgroundFlow disruption with the WEB is an innovative endovascular approach for treatment of wide-neck bifurcation aneurysms. Initial studies have shown a low complication rate with good efficacy.PurposeTo report clinical and anatomical results of the WEB treatment in the cumulative population of three Good Clinical Practice (GCP) studies: WEBCAST (WEB Clinical Assessment of Intrasaccular Aneurysm), French Observatory, and WEBCAST-2.MethodsWEBCAST, French Observatory, and WEBCAST-2 are single-arm, prospective, multicenter, GCP studies dedicated to the evaluation of WEB treatment. Clinical data were independently evaluated. Postoperative and 1-year aneurysm occlusion was independently evaluated using the 3-grade scale: complete occlusion, neck remnant, and aneurysm remnant.ResultsThe cumulative population comprised 168 patients with 169 aneurysms, including 112 female subjects (66.7%). The patients' ages ranged between 27 and 77 years (mean 55.5±10.2 years). Aneurysm locations were middle cerebral artery in 86/169 aneurysms (50.9%), anterior communicating artery in 36/169 (21.3%), basilar artery in 30/169 (17.8%), and internal carotid artery terminus in 17/169 (10.1%). The aneurysm was ruptured in 14/169 (8.3%). There was no mortality at 1 month and procedure/device-related morbidity was 1.2% (2/168). At 1 year, complete aneurysm occlusion was observed in 81/153 aneurysms (52.9%), neck remnant in 40/153 aneurysms (26.1%), and aneurysm remnant in 32/153 aneurysms (20.9%). Re-treatment was carried out in 6.9%.ConclusionsThis series is at the moment the largest prospective, multicenter, GCP series of patients with aneurysms treated with WEB. It shows the high safety and good mid-term efficacy of this treatment.Clinical trial registrationFrench Observatory: Unique identifier (NCT18069); WEBCAST and WEBCAST-2: Unique identifier (NCT01778322).

; for the HERMES Trialists Collaboration IMPORTANCE Reperfusion is a key factor for clinical outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) treated with endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for large-vessel intracranial occlusion. However, data are scarce on the association between the time from onset and reperfusion results. OBJECTIVE To analyze the rate of reperfusion after EVT started at different intervals after symptom onset in patients with AIS. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS We conducted a meta-analysis of individual patient data from 7 randomized trials of the Highly Effective Reperfusion Using Multiple Endovascular Devices (HERMES) group. This is a multicenter cohort study of the intervention arm of randomized clinical trials included in the HERMES group. Patients with anterior circulation AIS who underwent EVT for M1/M2 or intracranial carotid artery occlusion were included. Each trial enrolled patients according to its specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data on patients eligible but not enrolled (eg, refusals or exclusions) were not available. All analyses were performed by the HERMES biostatistical core laboratory using the pooled database. Data were analyzed between December 2010 and April 2015. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Successful reperfusion was defined as a modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction score of 2b/3 at the end of the EVT procedure adjusted for age, occlusion location, pretreatment intravenous thrombolysis, and clot burden score and was analyzed in relation to different intervals (onset, emergency department arrival, imaging, and puncture) using mixed-methods logistic regression. RESULTS Among the 728 included patients, with a mean (SD) age of 65.4 (13.5) years and of whom 345 were female (47.4%), decreases in rates of successful reperfusion defined as a thrombolysis in cerebral infarction score of 2b/3 were observed with increasing time from admission or first imaging to groin puncture. The magnitude of effect was a 22% relative reduction (odds ratio, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.64-0.95) per additional hour between admission and puncture and a 26% relative reduction (odds ratio, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.59-0.93) per additional hour between imaging and puncture. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Because the probability of reperfusion declined significantly with time between hospital arrival and groin puncture, we provide additional arguments for minimizing the intervals after symptom onset in anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke.

Background and Purpose: The efficiency of prehospital care chain response and the adequacy of hospital resources are challenged amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, with suspected consequences for patients with ischemic stroke eligible for mechanical thrombectomy (MT). Methods: We conducted a prospective national-level data collection of patients treated with MT, ranging 45 days across epidemic containment measures instatement, and of patients treated during the same calendar period in 2019. The primary end point was the variation of patients receiving MT during the epidemic period. Secondary end points included care delays between onset, imaging, and groin puncture. To analyze the primary end point, we used a Poisson regression model. We then analyzed the correlation between the number of MTs and the number of COVID-19 cases hospitalizations, using the Pearson correlation coefficient (compared with the null value). Results: A total of 1513 patients were included at 32 centers, in all French administrative regions. There was a 21% significant decrease (0.79; [95%CI, 0.76–0.82]; P <0.001) in MT case volumes during the epidemic period, and a significant increase in delays between imaging and groin puncture, overall (mean 144.9±SD 86.8 minutes versus 126.2±70.9; P <0.001 in 2019) and in transferred patients (mean 182.6±SD 82.0 minutes versus 153.25±67; P <0.001). After the instatement of strict epidemic mitigation measures, there was a significant negative correlation between the number of hospitalizations for COVID and the number of MT cases ( R 2 −0.51; P =0.04). Patients treated during the COVID outbreak were less likely to receive intravenous thrombolysis and to have unwitnessed strokes (both P <0.05). Conclusions: Our study showed a significant decrease in patients treated with MTs during the first stages of the COVID epidemic in France and alarming indicators of lengthened care delays. These findings prompt immediate consideration of local and regional stroke networks preparedness in the varying contexts of COVID-19 pandemic evolution.