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BackgroundPeriprocedural antithrombotic treatment is a key determinant for the risk–benefit balance of emergent carotid artery stenting (eCAS) during stroke thrombectomy. We aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of three types of antithrombotic treatment.MethodsRetrospective review of prospectively collected endovascular databases in four comprehensive stroke centers, including consecutive cases of eCAS for tandem lesion strokes between January 2019 and July 2021. During this period, each center prospectively applied one of three periprocedural protocols: (a) two centers administered aspirin (250 mg IV); (b) one center administered aspirin and heparin (bolus+24 hours infusion); and (c) one center applied an aggressive antiplatelet strategy consisting of aspirin and clopidogrel (loading doses), with added intravenous tirofiban if in-stent thrombosis was observed during thrombectomy. Dichotomized comparisons of outcomes were performed between aggressive versus non-aggressive strategy (aspirin±heparin) and aspirin+heparin versus aspirin-alone groups.ResultsAmong 161 included patients, 62 received aspirin monotherapy, 38 aspirin+heparin, and 61 an aggressive treatment. Aggressive antiplatelet treatment was associated with an increased rate of excellent (modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (mTICI) 2c-3) recanalization and reduced carotid stent thrombosis at day 1 (3.5% vs 16.3%), compared with non-aggressive strategy. There were no significant differences in hemorrhagic transformation or 90-day mortality. There was a tendency towards better clinical outcome with aggressive treatment, without reaching statistical significance. Addition of heparin to aspirin was not associated with an increased rate of carotid stent patency.ConclusionsAggressive antiplatelet treatment was associated with improved intracranial recanalization and carotid stent patency, without safety concerns. These findings have implications for randomized trials and may be of utility for clinicians when making antithrombotic treatment choices.

Background There is no consensus regarding optimal antiplatelet regimen for emergent carotid stenting during stroke thrombectomy. We aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of an aggressive periprocedural antiplatelet strategy focused on preserving stent patency, in comparison with conservative antiplatelet strategy consisting of aspirin monotherapy. Materials and Methods Retrospective review of a prospectively collected database in a comprehensive stroke center, including all cases of emergent carotid stenting for tandem lesions stroke between 01.03.2012–01.06.2021. Aggressive antiplatelet strategy consisted of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with aspirin and clopidogrel loading doses, with added intravenous (IV) tirofiban if in-stent thrombosis was observed during thrombectomy. Clinical and radiological outcomes were compared between conservative and aggressive antiplatelet treatment groups using inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) analysis based on propensity scores. Results We included 132 cases (76.5% atheroma, 22.7% dissection, 0.7% carotid web). Forty-five patients (34%) cases received conservative antiplatelet therapy. The remaining 87 (65.9%) received aggressive antiplatelet therapy: 66 (75.8%) treated with DAPT, 21 (24.1%) with DAPT and tirofiban. Periprocedural heparin was avoided in all cases. In adjusted analysis of the weighted samples, aggressive antiplatelet strategy was associated with improved carotid stent patency (aOR 0.23, 95% CI 0.07–0.80, p = 0.021), higher proportion of moderate clinical outcome (mRS ≤ 3, aOR 2.72, 95% CI 1.01–7.30, p = 0.04), with no significant differences in mortality and hemorrhagic transformation (HT) rates. Conclusions In this retrospective study, aggressive periprocedural antiplatelet strategy led to improved stent patency and clinical outcomes, without increased HT. Further prospective randomized research is warranted to identify the optimal combination of antiplatelet agents for emergent carotid stenting in the setting of acute stroke.