Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Risk factors for acute ischemic stroke following flow-diverter treatment of intracranial aneurysms are poorly understood. Using the International Retrospective Study of Pipeline Embolization Device (IntrePED) registry, we studied demographic, aneurysm, and procedural characteristics associated with postoperative acute ischemic stroke following Pipeline Embolization Device (PED) treatment.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We identified patients in the IntrePED registry with post-PED-treatment acute ischemic stroke. The rate of postoperative acute ischemic stroke was determined by demographics, comorbidities, aneurysm characteristics, and procedure characteristics (including anticoagulation use, platelet testing, number of devices used, sheaths, and so forth). Categoric variables were compared with χ2 testing, and continuous variables were compared with the Student t test. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were obtained by using univariate logistic regression. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine which factors were independently associated with postoperative stroke.
RESULTS
Of 793 patients with 906 aneurysms, 36 (4.5%) patients had acute ischemic stroke. Twenty-six (72.2%) strokes occurred within 30 days of treatment (median, 3.5 days; range, 0–397 days). Ten patients died, and the remaining 26 had major neurologic morbidity. Variables associated with higher odds of acute ischemic stroke on univariate analysis included male sex, hypertension, treatment of MCA aneurysms, treatment of fusiform aneurysms, treatment of giant aneurysms, and use of multiple PEDs. However, on multivariate analysis, the only one of these variables independently associated with stroke was treatment of fusiform aneurysms (OR, 2.74; 95% CI, 1.11–6.75; P = .03). Fusiform aneurysms that were associated with stroke were significantly larger than those not associated with stroke (mean, 24.5 ± 12.5 mm versus 13.6 ± 6.8 mm; P < .001).
CONCLUSIONS
Ischemic stroke following PED treatment is an uncommon-but-devastating complication. Fusiform aneurysms were the only variable independently associated with postoperative stroke.
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Editor’s Choice
This is a retrospective subanalysis of the IntrePED study, which has beenpreviously published (AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2015;36:108–15).Seven hundred ninety-three patients with 906 treated aneurysms were enrolled. Thirty-six (4.5%) patients had postoperative acute ischemic stroke, 21 of which occurred within 1 week of the procedure. There was no difference in the rate of acute stroke between the anterior and posterior circulations. Stroke rate was 3% in patients with 1 PED, and 7% in those with 2 PEDs. With multivariate analysis, the only variable independently associated with postoperative stroke was treatment of fusiform aneurysms. Among the patients with stroke, 10 (27.0%) died and 26 (73.0%) had major neurologic morbidity. The authors conclude that acute ischemic stroke following treatment of intracranial aneurysms with the PED is an uncommon but devastating complication, with 100% of patients having major morbidity or mortality.