Acute carotid stenting plus aspirin during thrombectomy of tandem occlusions: A matched case-control study

Abstract

Background and purpose Acute carotid artery stenting (CAS) for ischemic stroke patients with anterior circulation tandem occlusion requires periprocedural antiplatelet therapy to prevent stent thrombosis. However, due to the lack of randomized trials and inconsistent published results, there is no reliable information regarding the safety of additional antiplatelet treatment. Therefore, we compared the safety and functional outcomes of patients treated with acute CAS plus Aspirin during tandem occlusions thrombectomy with isolated intracranial occlusions patients treated with thrombectomy alone. Methods Two prospectively acquired mechanical databases from August 2017 to December 2021 were reviewed. Patients were included if they had carotid atherosclerotic tandem occlusions treated with acute CAS and Aspirin (intravenous bolus 250 mg) during thrombectomy. Any antiplatelet agent was added after thrombectomy and before the 24-h control imaging. This group was compared with a matched group of isolated intracranial occlusions treated with thrombectomy alone. Results A total of 1557 patients were included and 70 (4.5%) had an atherosclerotic tandem occlusion treated with acute CAS plus Aspirin during thrombectomy. In exact coarse matched weight adjusted analysis, the rate of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage was similar in both groups (OR, 3.06; 95% CI, 0.66–14.04; P = 0.150), parenchymal hematoma type 2 (OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 0.24–5.39; P = 0.856), any intracerebral hemorrhage (OR, 1.84; 95% CI, 0.75–4.53; P = 0.182), and 90-day mortality (OR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.24–2.60; P = 0.708). Rates of early neurological improvement and 90-day modified Rankin Scale score 0–2 were comparable. Conclusions Acute CAS plus Aspirin during thrombectomy for tandem occlusion stroke appears safe. Randomized trials are warranted to confirm these findings.