Abstract TP239: Rescue Angioplasty with or without stenting after failed thrombectomy in Medium / Distal Vessel Occlusions: A retrospective analysis of a large international multi-center registry.
Background: There are limited therapy options in case of failed reperfusion after stent-retriever and/or aspiration based endovascular treatment (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke. Despite the absence of data supporting its use, rescue angioplasty (RA; with or without stent implantation) is often utilized in such cases. Studies are limited to large vessel occlusions, while the outcomes and complications after RA in medium/distal vessel occlusions (MDVOs) have not been reported. This study aims to report the outcomes of RA in MDVO stroke patients. Methods: We performed a retrospective sub-analysis of the “Blood pressure and Antiplatelet medication management after reScue angioplasty after failed Endovascular treatment in Large and distal vessel occlusions with probable IntraCranial Atherosclerotic Disease” (BASEL ICAD) registry. All MDVO stroke patients were included in the analysis. Results: Out of 718 patients, 92 (12.8%) presented with an MDVO. Sixty-one patients (65.9%) presented with an occlusion of the M2 segment of the middle cerebral artery. Rescue stenting (RS) was performed in 83 patients (90.2%) and balloon angioplasty alone was performed in 9 patients (9.8%). Successful reperfusion (modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (mTICI) score ≥ 2b) before RA was achieved in 34 patients (36.9%) and after RA in 76 (82.6%) patients. Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) occurred in 8 patients (9.1%) and post-treatment stent occlusion in 14 patients (16.7%). 90 days mortality was 24.1%. Twenty-nine patients (34.9%) achieved functional independence at 90 days (modified Rankin Scale 0 – 2). Conclusion: Rescue Angioplasty might be a viable treatment option in case of failed reperfusion after conventional EVT in selected MDVO patients. However, safety concerns remain.