- Iodine Extravasation Quantification on Dual-Energy CT of the Brain Performed after Mechanical Thrombectomy for Acute Ischemic Stroke Can Predict Hemorrhagic Complications
Eighty-five consecutive patients who underwent brain dual-energy CT immediately after mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke between August 2013 and January 2017 were included. Two radiologists independently evaluated dual-energy CT images for the presence of parenchymal hyperdensity, iodine extravasation, and hemorrhage. Thirteen of 85 patients developed hemorrhage. On postoperative dual-energy CT, parenchymal hyperdensities and iodine extravasation were present in 100% of the patients who developed intracerebral hemorrhage and in 56.3% of the patients who did not. Median maximum iodine concentration was 2.63 mg/mL in the patients who developed intracerebral hemorrhage and 1.4 mg/mL in the patients who did not. The authors conclude that the presence of parenchymal hyperdensity with a maximum iodine concentration of greater than 1.35 mg/mL may identify patients developing intracerebral hemorrhage with 100% sensitivity and 67.6% specificity.
- Endovascular Thrombectomy in Wake-Up Stroke and Stroke with Unknown Symptom Onset
The authors evaluated 1073 patients with anterior circulation stroke undergoing mechanical thrombectomy between 2010 and 2016. Patients with wake-up stroke and daytime-unwitnessed stroke were compared with controls receiving mechanical thrombectomy as the standard of care. There was no significant difference in good functional outcome between patients with wake-up stroke and controls. Outcome in patients with daytime-unwitnessed stroke was inferior compared with controls. Groups did not differ in all-cause mortality at day 90 and the rate of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. They conclude that mechanical thrombectomy in selected patients with wake-up stroke allows a good functional outcome comparable with that of controls.