• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.63 no.6
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• pp.717-722
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• 2020

Objective : Dissection of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) is less common than dissection of vessels in the vertebrobasilar system or carotid artery. Acute complete occlusion related to MCA dissection is extremely rare. We report an endovascular approach in patients with acute complete occlusion due to MCA dissection. Methods : We reviewed retrospectively the endovascular procedure and clinical results for acute-stroke patients who underwent recanalization from October 2014 through December 2018. Initial imaging findings and the endovascular procedure were analyzed for patients with acute complete occlusion due to MCA dissection. Results : We undertook first-line aspiration thrombectomy using a Penumbra catheter in 294 patients with acute occlusion of the M1 segment. Of these patients, seven were confirmed to have acute complete occlusion due to MCA dissection. All patients had angiographic findings of an intimal flap at the proximal occlusion site of the MCA. One patient complained of severe headache during microcatheter passage through the occluded lesion and died due to massive bleeding caused by rupture of the false lumen. The remaining patients underwent initial contact aspiration thrombectomy without microcatheter passage. After aspiration thrombectomy, six patients had delayed flow through the MCA. One patient underwent stenting of the MCA because of progressive symptoms. Conclusion : An intimal flap at the proximal portion of an occluded MCA can suggest the possibility of MCA dissection. Contrast aspiration thrombectomy without microcatheter passage can reduce the risk of false lumen rupture in cases of MCA dissection.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.59 no.4
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• pp.379-384
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• 2016

Objective : Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for acute intracranial internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion is often complicated by difficult revascularization and non-involved territory embolization possibly related with larger clot-burden. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of proximal aspiration thrombectomy (PAT) using a balloon-tipped guide catheter for clot-burden reduction in such cases with period-to-period analysis (period 1 : standard MT without PAT; period 2 : PAT first, then standard MT for the remaining occlusion). Methods : Eighty-six patients who underwent MT for acute intracranial ICA occlusion were included in this analysis from the prospectively maintained stroke registry (33 patients in period 1 and 53 in period 2). In period 2, 'responder' was defined as a case where some amount of clot was retrieved by PAT and the following angiography showed partial or full recanalization. Results : Fifteen of fifty-three patients in period 2 (28.3%) were 'responders' to PAT. There was a significantly higher incidence of atrial fibrillation in the 'responder' subgroup. Period 2 showed a significantly shorter puncture-to-reperfusion time (94.5 minutes vs. 56.0 minutes; p=0.002), a significantly higher Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction of 2b-3 reperfusion (45.5% vs. 73.6%; p=0.009), but only a trend for better 3-month favorable outcome (mRS 0-2; 36.4% vs. 54.7%; p=0.097). There was no increase in the incidence of procedure-related complications or intracranial hemorrhage in period 2. Conclusion : A strategy of PAT before standard MT may result in shorter puncture-to-reperfusion time and better angiographic outcome than a strategy of standard MT for acute intracranial ICA occlusion.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.64 no.1
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• pp.30-38
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• 2021

Objective : The Solitaire Platinum 4×40 mm stent retriever contains radiopaque markers with a long length. We evaluated the effect of Solitaire Platinum 4×40 mm stent retriever in Solumbra technique thrombectomy, and compared it with shorter Solitaire stent retrievers. Methods : A total of 70 patients who underwent Solumbra technique thrombectomy with equal diameter (4 mm) and different length (40 vs. 20 mm) Solitaire stent retrievers were divided into two groups : the Solitaire Platinum 4×40 mm stent (4×40) group and the Solitaire FR 4×20 mm stent or Solitaire Platinum 4×20 mm stent (4×20) group. The clinical outcomes, Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction score, the first pass reperfusion status, and complications were evaluated and compared between the two groups. Multivariate analysis was performed to evaluate the predictive factors for reperfusion and complete reperfusion from the first pass. Results : Higher first-pass reperfusion and complete reperfusion were achieved in the 4×40 group (68.0% and 48.0%) than in the 4×20 group (46.7% and 33.3%; p=0.004 and 0.007, respectively). In multivariate analysis, radiopaque device and longer stent retriever were correlated with first-pass reperfusion (p=0.014 and 0.008, respectively) and first-pass complete reperfusion (p=0.022 and 0.012, respectively). Conclusion : Our study demonstrated the usefulness of the Solitaire Platinum 4×40 mm stent retriever, which led to higher first-pass reperfusion and complete reperfusion rates than the Solitaire FR 4×20 mm stent or the Solitaire Platinum 4×20 mm stent, especially in Solumbra technique thrombectomy.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.24 no.12
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• pp.1214-1219
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• 1991

From July 1988 to January 1991 six patients, aged 29 to 70 years underwent transfemoral thrombectomy for the treatment of deep vein thrombosis. Preoperative venograms showed thrombi in the following locations: calf veins[five], superficial femoral or popliteal veins [four], common femoral veins[three], and iliac veins[three], Durations of symptoms before admission were from 1 day to 20days. Operations were performed under local anesthesia and all the patients were requested for doing Valsalva maneuver during thrombectomies. All patients were received heparin pre-and postoperatively, which was switched to Coumadin for preventing of rethrombosis. One patient was transferred to other hospital 4 months after operation due to regional reason, and the remained five patients were evaluated with a mean follow-up time of 20 months. There was no evidence of postoperative pulmonary embolism. Three of five patients were clinically asymptomatic. One complained of the heaviness of involved leg in the evening, and the other had discomfort on walking Even though our cases were a few in number, we concluded that thrombectomy is a valuable treatment modality of deep vein thrombosis.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.276-280
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• 2023

Fungal thrombophlebitis of the central vein is a rare, life-threatening disease associated with significant morbidity and mortality. It requires immediate central venous catheter removal and intravenous antifungal therapy, combined in some cases with either anticoagulation or aggressive surgical debridement. A 70-year-old male patient injured by a falling object weighing 1,000 kg was transferred to our hospital. A contained rupture of the abdominal aorta with retroperitoneal hematoma was treated with primary aortic repair, and a small bowel perforation with mesenteric laceration was treated with resection and anastomosis. After a computed tomography scan, the patient was diagnosed with thrombophlebitis of the left internal jugular vein and brachiocephalic vein. Despite antifungal treatment, fever and candidemia persisted. Therefore, emergency debridement and thrombectomy were performed. After the operation, the patient was treated with an oral antifungal agent and direct oral anticoagulants. During a 1-year follow-up, no signs of candidemia relapse were observed. There is no optimal timing of surgical treatment for relapsed fungal central thrombophlebitis. Surgical treatment should be considered for early recovery.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.64 no.5
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• pp.732-739
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• 2021

Objective : Early successful reperfusion is associated with favorable outcomes in acute ischemic stroke (AIS). The purpose of this study was to achieve successful recanalization by a combined mechanical thrombectomy technique, the Aspiration-Retriever Technique for Stroke (ARTS), which is composed of a flexible large lumen distal access catheter and a retrievable stent as the first-line strategy of mechanical thrombectomy. Methods : We retrospectively reviewed 62 patients with AIS who underwent mechanical thrombectomy from 2018 to 2019 at our institute by a senior neurointerventionalist. Among them, patients who were treated using the ARTS technique with the soft torqueable catheter optimized for intracranial access (SOFIA^®; MicroVention-Terumo, Tustin, CA, USA) as the first-line treatment were included. Patients who had tandem occlusions or underlying intracranial artery stenosis were excluded. The angiographic and clinical outcomes were evaluated. The angiographic outcome was analyzed by the rate of successful recanalization, defined as a Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction score of 2b or 3 at the end of all procedures and the rate of successfully achieving the first pass effect (FPE), defined as complete recanalization with a single pass of the device. The clinical outcomes included the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, modified Rankin Scale (mRS), and mortality. Results : A total of 27 patients (mean age, 59.3 years) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The successful recanalization rate was 96% (n=26) while the FPE rate was 41% (n=11). The mean post-procedural NIHSS change was -3.0. Thirteen patients (48%) showed good clinical outcomes after thrombectomy with the ARTS technique (mRS at 90 days ≤2). Postoperative complications occurred in seven of 25 patients : hemorrhagic transformation in six patients (22%) and distal embolization in one patient (4%). Mortality was 15% (n=4). Conclusion : Although the clinical outcomes using the ARTS technique with a flexible large lumen distal access catheter performed as the frontline thrombectomy in patients with AIS were not significantly superior than those of other studies, this study showed a high rate of successful endovascular recanalization which was comparable to that of other studies. Therefore, ARTS using the SOFIA^® catheter can be considered as the first choice of treatment for AIS due to large vessel occlusion.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.65 no.2
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• pp.224-235
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• 2022

Objective : Since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, neurointerventionists have been increasingly concerned regarding the prevention of infection and time delay in performing emergency thrombectomy procedures in patients with acute stroke. This study aimed to analyze the effects of changes in mechanical thrombectomy protocol before and after the COVID-19 pandemic on procedure time and patient outcomes and to identify factors that significantly impact procedure time. Methods : The last-normal-to-door, first-abnormal-to-door, door-to-imaging, door-to-puncture, and puncture-to-recanalization times of 88 patients (45 treated with conventional pre-COVID-19 protocol and 43 with COVID-19 protection protocol) were retrospectively analyzed. The recanalization time, success rate of mechanical thrombectomy, and modified Rankin score of patients at discharge were assessed. A multivariate analysis was conducted to identify variables that significantly influenced the time delay in the door-to-puncture time and total procedure time. Results : The door-to-imaging time significantly increased under the COVID-19 protection protocol (p=0.0257) compared to that with the conventional pre-COVID-19 protocol. This increase was even more pronounced in patients who were suspected to be COVID-19-positive than in those who were negative. The door-to-puncture time showed no statistical difference between the conventional and COVID-19 protocol groups (p=0.5042). However, in the multivariate analysis, the last-normal-to-door time and door-to-imaging time were shown to affect the door-to-puncture time (p=0.0068 and 0.0097). The total procedure time was affected by the occlusion site, last-normal-to-door time, door-to-imaging time, and type of anesthesia (p=0.0001, 0.0231, 0.0103, and 0.0207, respectively). Conclusion : The COVID-19 protection protocol significantly impacted the door-to-imaging time. Shortening the door-to-imaging time and performing the procedure under local anesthesia, if possible, may be required to reduce the door-to-puncture and door-to-recanalization times. The effect of various aspects of the protection protocol on emergency thrombectomy should be further studied.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.58 no.3
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• pp.192-196
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• 2015

Objective : The aim of this study is to investigate good prognostic factors for an acute occlusion of a major cerebral artery using mechanical thrombectomy. Methods : Between January 2013 to December 2014, 37 consecutive patients with acute occlusion of a major cerebral artery treated by mechanical thrombectomy with stent retrievers were conducted. We analyzed clinical and angiographic factors retrospectively. The collateral flow and the result of recanalization were sorted by grading systems. Outcome was assessed by National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 90 days. We compared the various parameters between good and poor angiographic and clinical results. Results : Twenty seven patients demonstrated good recanalization [Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (TICI) 2b or 3] after thrombectomy. At the 90-day follow up, 19 patients had good (mRS, 0-2), 14 had moderate (3-4) and four had poor outcomes (5-6). The mRS of older patients (${\geq}75years$) were poor than younger patients. Early recanalization, high Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction risk score, and low baseline NIHSS were closely related to 90-day mRS, whereas high TICI was related to both mRS and the decrease in the NIHSS. Conclusion : NIHSS decreased markedly only when recanalization was successful. A good mRS was related to low initial NIHSS, good collateral, and early successful recanalization.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.463-468
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• 2014

Objective : Unexpected Solitaire stent detachment can occur during mechanical Solitaire thrombectomy. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the influencing factors causing unexpected Solitaire stent detachment and the clinical outcomes. Methods : Between October 2011 to December 2013, 232 cases of mechanical Solitaire thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke were performed in 3 stroke centers. During this period, we encountered unexpected Solitaire stent detachments during mechanical Solitaire thrombectomies in 9 cases. Results : Solitaire stents unexpectedly detached in 9 cases (3.9%) during the retrieval of Solitaire stents. The median patient age was 76 years. The occlusion sites of the unexpected stent detachment were the proximal middle cerebral artery (MCA) in 7 cases and the internal carotid artery in 2 cases. The sizes of the stents that unexpectedly detached were $6{\times}30$ mm in 7 cases, $5{\times}30$ mm in 1 case, and $4{\times}20$ mm in 1 case. Four patients had unexpected detachment at the first retrieval, 1 patient at the second, 3 patients at the third, and 1 patient at the fifth. In all of the cases of unexpected detachment at the first retrieval, the stent deployment site was the proximal MCA. After detachment, a proximal marker of the Solitaire stent was observed in 3 patients. However, no marker was visible in the remaining 6 patients. Conclusion : Unexpected Solitaire stent detachment should be considered in the first instance of stent retrieval for a relatively large-diameter stent, especially in elderly patients with MCA occlusions.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.60 no.2
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• pp.155-164
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• 2017

Objective : To evaluate the efficacy of balloon guiding catheter (BGC) during thrombectomy in anterior circulation ischemic stroke. Methods : Sixty-two patients with acute anterior circulation ischemic stroke were treated with thrombectomy using a Solitaire stent from 2011 to 2016. Patients were divided into the BGC group (n=24, 39%) and the non-BGC group (n=38, 61%). The number of retrievals, procedure time, thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (TICI) grade, presence of distal emboli, and clinical outcomes at 3 months were evaluated. Results : Successful recanalization was more frequent in BGC than in non-BGC (83% vs. 66%, p=0.13). Distal emboli occurred less in BGC than in non-BGC (23.1% vs. 57.1%, p=0.02). Good clinical outcome was more frequent in BGC than in non-BGC (50% vs. 16%, p=0.03). The multivariate analysis showed that use of BGC was the only independent predictor of good clinical outcome (odds ratio, 5.19 : 95% confidence interval, 1.07-25.11). More patients in BGC were successfully recanalized in internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion with small retrieval numbers (<3) than those in non-BGC (70% vs. 24%, p=0.005). In successfully recanalized ICA occlusion, distal emboli did not occur in BGC, whereas nine patients had distal emboli in non-BGC (0% vs. 75%, p=0.001) and good clinical outcome was superior in BGC than in non-BGC (55.6% vs. 8.3%, p=0.01). Conclusion : A BGC significantly reduces the number of retrievals and the occurrence of distal emboli, thereby resulting in better clinical outcomes in patients with anterior circulation ischemic stroke, particularly with ICA occlusion.