Stenting as a Rescue Treatment after Failure of Mechanical Thrombectomy for Anterior Circulation Large Artery Occlusion

Background and Purpose - We hypothesized that permanent stenting may be a rescue treatment for stentriever-failed anterior circulation large artery occlusion. We compared the outcomes among patients with permanent stenting and those without stenting after stentriever failure. Methods - We retrospectively evaluated 208 patients who underwent stentriever thrombectomy for anterior circulation large artery occlusion between September 2010 and September 2015. Modified thrombolysis in cerebral ischemia 2b-3 recanalization was achieved with stentriever alone or in combination with Penumbra device in 155 patients (74.5%). An additional 8 patients (3.8%) obtained modified thrombolysis in cerebral ischemia 2b-3 with urokinase or glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor infusion. Of the remaining 45 patients (21.6%), 17 underwent stenting (stenting group; mean age, 68 years), whereas 28 did not undergo stenting (nonstenting group; mean age, 72 years). The rate of modified thrombolysis in cerebral ischemia 2b-3 in stenting group was assessed, and clinical outcomes were compared between groups. Results - There were no differences in clinical and laboratory findings, initial National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score, location of anterior circulation large artery occlusion, and onset-to-puncture time between groups. Modified thrombolysis in cerebral ischemia 2b-3 was achieved in 14 members (83.3%) of the stenting group. Stenting group had more favorable outcomes (modified Rankin Scale score 0-2, 35.3%) and less cerebral herniation (11.8%) than nonstenting group (modified Rankin Scale score 0-2, 7.1%; cerebral herniation, 42.9%; P<0.05 for both). Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage and mortality rates did not differ between stenting group (symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, 11.8%; mortality, 23.5%) and nonstenting group (symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, 14.3%; mortality, 39.3%). Conclusions - Permanent stenting may be a rescue modality for stentriever-failed anterior circulation large artery occlusion. A large prospective study is necessary for confirmation because of the small sample size of this study.