Triple platelet inhibition in intracranial thrombectomy with additional acute cervical stent angioplasty due to tandem lesion: a retrospective single-center analysis

• Published in: BMC neurology Vol. 24; no. 1; p. 99
• Main Authors: Khanafer, Ali, Henkes, Hans, Bücke, Philipp, Hennersdorf, Florian, Bäzner, Hansjörg, Forsting, Michael, von Gottberg, Philipp
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 18.03.2024; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Acetylsalicylic acid; Aggregation; Angiography; Angioplasty; Angioplasty - methods; Anti-platelet therapy; Blood platelets; Cardiac arrhythmia; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular system; Care and treatment; Carotid arteries; Carotid artery; Carotid artery stenting; Carotid Stenosis - diagnostic imaging; Carotid Stenosis - surgery; Cerebral blood flow; Clopidogrel; Comorbidity; Constriction, Pathologic - etiology; Diabetes; Endovascular Procedures - methods; Endovascular stents; Endovascular thrombectomy; Hemorrhage; Hospital Mortality; Humans; Hypertension; Implants; In-Stent restenosis; Ischemia; Methods; Multivariate analysis; Patient outcomes; Patients; Platelets; Prevention; Regression analysis; Restenosis; Retrospective Studies; Salicylates; Stent (Surgery); Stents; Stents - adverse effects; Stroke; Stroke (Disease); Stroke - diagnostic imaging; Stroke - etiology; Stroke - surgery; Thrombectomy - adverse effects; Thrombosis; Thrombosis - etiology; Treatment Outcome; Veins & arteries; Germany; Endovascular thrombectomy; Stroke; Anti-platelet therapy; Carotid artery stenting; In-Stent restenosis
• ISSN: 1471-2377; 1471-2377
• DOI: 10.1186/s12883-024-03597-0

Acute stroke treatment with intracranial thrombectomy and treatment of ipsilateral carotid artery stenosis/occlusion ("tandem lesion", TL) in one session is considered safe. However, the risk of stent restenosis after TL treatment is high, and antiplatelet therapy (APT) preventing restenosis must be well balanced to avoid intracranial hemorrhage. We investigated the safety and 90-day outcome of patients receiving TL treatment under triple-APT, focused on stent-patency and possible disadvantageous comorbidities. Patients receiving TL treatment in the setting of acute stroke between 2013 and 2022 were analyzed regarding peri-/postprocedural safety and stent patency after 90 days. All patients received intravenous eptifibatide and acetylsalicylic acid and one of the three drugs prasugrel, clopidogrel, or ticagrelor. Duplex imaging was performed 24 h after treatment, at discharge and 90 days, and digital subtraction angiography was performed if restenosis was suspected. 176 patients were included. Periprocedural complications occurred in 2.3% of the patients at no periprocedural death, and in-hospital death in 13.6%. Discharge mRS score was maintained or improved at the 90-day follow-up in 86%, 4.54% had an in-stent restenosis requiring treatment at 90 days. No recorded comorbidity considered disadvantageous for stent patency showed statistical significance, the duration of the endovascular procedure had no significant effect on outcome. In our data, TL treatment with triple APT resulted in a low restenosis rate, low rates of sICH and a comparably high number of patients with favorable outcome. Aggressive APT in the initial phase may therefore have the potential to prevent recurrent stroke better than restrained platelet inhibition. Comorbidities did not influence stent patency.