4.6 Article

An Older Thrombus Delays Reperfusion after Mechanical Thrombectomy for Ischemic Stroke

Journal

THROMBOSIS AND HAEMOSTASIS
Volume 122, Issue 3, Pages 415-426

Publisher

GEORG THIEME VERLAG KG
DOI: 10.1055/a-1522-4507

Keywords

thrombolysis; embolism; pathology; stroke; macrophage

Funding

  1. JSPS KAKENHI [21K15696]
  2. Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research [21K15696] Funding Source: KAKEN

Ask authors/readers for more resources

Older thrombi delay reperfusion after mechanical thrombectomy for ischemic stroke, requiring more treatment passes and associated with poorer prognosis. Improving efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy may involve targeting therapies for thrombus maturation.
Background Thrombosis is a dynamic process, and a thrombus undergoes physical and biochemical changes that may alter its response to reperfusion therapy. This study assessed whether thrombus age influenced reperfusion quality and outcomes after mechanical thrombectomy for cerebral embolism. Methods We retrospectively evaluated 185 stroke patients and thrombi that were collected during mechanical thrombectomy at three stroke centers. Thrombi were pathologically classified as fresh or older based on their granulocytes' nuclear morphology and organization. Thrombus components were quantified, and the extent of NETosis (the process of neutrophil extracellular trap formation) was assessed using the density of citrullinated histone H3-positive cells. Baseline patient characteristics, thrombus features, endovascular procedures, and functional outcomes were compared according to thrombus age. Results Fresh thrombi were acquired from 43 patients, and older thrombi were acquired from 142 patients. Older thrombi had a lower erythrocyte content ( p <0.001) and higher extent of NETosis ( p =0.006). Restricted mean survival time analysis revealed that older thrombi were associated with longer puncture-to-reperfusion times (difference: 15.6minutes longer for older thrombi, p =0.002). This association remained significant even after adjustment for erythrocyte content and the extent of NETosis (adjusted difference: 10.8minutes, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.6-21.1minutes, p =0.039). Compared with fresh thrombi, older thrombi required more device passes before reperfusion ( p <0.001) and were associated with poorer functional outcomes (adjusted common odds ratio: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.24-0.99). Conclusion An older thrombus delays reperfusion after mechanical thrombectomy for ischemic stroke. Adding therapies targeting thrombus maturation may improve the efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy.

Authors

I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.

Reviews

Primary Rating

4.6
Not enough ratings

Secondary Ratings

Novelty
-
Significance
-
Scientific rigor
-
Rate this paper

Recommended

No Data Available
No Data Available