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Two score families were introduced to help clinicians about the decision-making regarding intracranial aneurysms management. The first family estimates the growth/rupture risk (GRS), whereas the second provides straightforward recommendation (RS) for treatment decisions. However, both remain poorly validated and little is known about their agreement. In this paper, we performed a retrospective concordance analysis among the two scores families through their application to a multicenter cohort of SAH patients.Demographical, clinical and radiological data were extracted in conformance with the variables included in PHASES, UCAS, ELAPSS, Juvela's growth score (JGS), UIATS and Juvela's treatment score (JTS). Individual patients' score were calculated for both score families, and pooled data were then analyzed.Overall, 146 patients were included. True positive rates were: 51.4% for PHASES; 71.9% for UCAS; between 60.3% and 90.4% for JTS; and between 27.4% and 68.5% for UIATS. In patients showing UIATS unclear recommendation and low JTS score (RS), UCAS outperformed PHASES (GRS) in identifying aneurysms at higher risk of rupture. Same results we found for patients with conservative UIATS recommendation and very low JTS score. Forty-to-sixty percent of aneurysms with unclear or conservative RS recommendation would have been identified as at high risk with GRS.Retrospectively applied, JTS appeared outperforming UIATS in correctly recommending treatment in a higher percentage of patients. UIATS and JTS appeared agreeing more with UCAS than PHASES predictions. Around 50% of patients with unclear or conservative UIATS/JTS recommendations were been classified as at higher growth risk by ELAPSS and JGS.

Background Postinfectious Moyamoya syndrome (MMS) is a rare vasculopathy that can follow meningitis. Only 9 cases of MMS after meningitis have been reported in the literature. We present a unique case of MMS after meningitis caused by Aspergillus fumigatus and Escherichia coli and review all cases of MMS postmeningitis in the literature. Case Description A 41-year-old man was admitted to our emergency department for sudden hypoesthesia in the left arm and an intense headache not responsive to drugs. Computed tomography scan and magnetic resonance imaging showed acute ischemic lesions in the right centrum semiovale associated with bilateral chronic watershed cerebral ischemic lesions. The cerebral digital subtraction angiography documented a typical Moyamoya pattern. In anamnesis, the patient suffered from meningitis caused by A. fumigatus and E. coli infection after neurosurgery for subependymoma of the fourth ventricle 2 years before. Laboratory tests, clinical investigation, and imaging ruled out any other cause of vasculopathy and led to the final diagnosis of postinfectious MMS. The patient started medical therapy with oral acetyl salicylic acid, verapamil, and prednisone while surgical approach was excluded in the first instance. Conclusions Physicians should be aware of an uncommon but severe complication of meningitis such as MMS, even several years after the infection. Neuroimaging is essential for the diagnosis and to exclude other causes of neurologic symptoms in these patients.

Background Recent trials established the efficacy of mechanical stent-retriever thrombectomy for treatment of stroke patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) in the anterior circulation. However, stent-retriever thrombectomy may not accomplish successful recanalization in all patients. The aim of this study is to report the role of bail-out permanent stenting after failure of mechanical thrombectomy. Methods Among 430 patients included in a prospectively maintained database, we analysed 325 cases of anterior circulation LVO. Mechanical thrombectomy (mTICI 2b-3) was effective in 213/325 (65%) and failed in 112/325 (35%). Bail-out intracranial stenting was performed in 17/325 (5.2%) patients. In all cases a fully retrievable detachable stent was used (Solitaire AB, Medtronic). Results No intraprocedural technical complications occurred. Successful reperfusion (mTICI 2b/3) was achieved in 12/17 patients (70.6%). Three (17.6%) patients died: one extensive infarction in the internal carotid artery territory, one large intracerebral haemorrhage, and one massive pulmonary embolism. Haemorrhagic conversion, both symptomatic and asymptomatic, occurred in 2/17 (11.7%). Good clinical outcome (mRS 0–2) at 3-months was achieved in 41.2% of patients. Conclusion Bail-out intracranial stenting after unsuccessful thrombectomy is technically feasible and the associated haemorrhagic risk seems acceptable in selected patients. We suggest that bail-out intracranial stenting, is safe and effective in selected patients with LVO stroke who failed to respond to thrombectomy.

Clot features along with patients' clinical features may influence thrombus compactness predisposing at distal embolization during thrombectomy. The aim of this study was to evaluate thrombus features assessed by radiological and histopathological analysis along with patient-related features to predict distal embolization during thrombectomy.We performed a retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained dataset of a tertiary stroke center inclusive of all cases of endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke involving anterior circulation occlusion. All patients underwent head and neck CT-angiography (CTA) at baseline. Patients were enrolled if thrombus material was suitable for histopathologic analyses.A total of 327 patients underwent mechanical thrombectomy between March 2017 and May 2020. Among them, 133 (40.7%) had thrombus material suitable for histopathological analysis but 11 patients were excluded due to posterior circulation occlusion. A total of 122 patients were included in the analysis. A distal embolism was documented in 27 patients (28.4%). Multivariable analysis with distal embolism as dependent variable showed an adjusted OR of 2.64 (95%CI: 0.9-7.73; p-value: 0.08) for anticoagulant therapy, an adjusted OR of 1.38 (95%CI: 1.01-1.91; p-value 0.05) each 5-mm increasing of thrombus length at CTA. No association was found with age, sex, thrombolysis and first thrombectomy technique used.The combined effect of anticoagulant therapy and thrombus length may have a potentially harmful effect on reperfusion during mechanical recanalization, causing distal embolization and this aspect should be taken into account in patient's risk assessment and when planning treatment strategy.

Background PulseRider (Pulsar Vascular, Los Gatos, California, USA) is a new endovascular device designed to treat wide-neck bifurcation intracranial aneurysms. Deployment of a stent through a PulseRider to treat an aneurysm's recurrence has never been described before. Case Description We report the case of a 55-year-old man who underwent coiling of an 8-mm anterior communicating artery aneurysm with assistance of a PulseRider neck reconstruction device. The 6-month digital subtraction angiography control showed aneurysm recurrence, so we deployed an Enterprise 2 closed-cell stent (Codman, Miami Lakes, Florida, USA) in the A1-A2 segment passing across the previously implanted PulseRider. Enterprise correctly expanded and allowed for adequate coiling of the aneurysm. Conclusion An Enterprise stent can be safely opened through a PulseRider in order to treat aneurysm recurrence.

Background DAWN and DEFUSE-3 trials demonstrated the benefit of endovascular thrombectomy in late-presenting acute ischemic strokes due to anterior circulation large vessel occlusion. The aim of our study is to evaluate results of endovascular thrombectomy in large intracranial vessel occlusion without perfusion CT patient selection. Methods we reviewed our prospectively collected endovascular databases for patients with an acute stroke from March 2016 to October 2018, treated after 6 h from stroke onset, without perfusion CT selection. Baseline characteristics, procedural data, and outcomes were evaluated. A good outcome was defined as a 90-day modified Rankin Scale score of 0–2. The association between clinical and procedural parameters and functional outcome was assessed. Results out of 212 patients 55 were treated after 6 h from stroke onset, 49 of which for an anterior circulation occlusion. 18/49 were functional independent at 90 days (mRS 0–2), Successful recanalization (mTICI 2b to 3) was achieved in 38/49 patients (77 %). Multivariate logistic regression indicated that a low baseline NIHSS was associated with favorable outcome (OR 0.66, 95 % CI 0.52−0.83, p-value 0.001). Conclusions in our retrospective analysis, baseline NIHSS is the only parameter that can predict good outcome (90-days mRS 0–2). We confirm data from recent papers assessing that perfusion CT can provide a better patients' selection compared to mCTA for large vessels occlusion treated beyond six hours from symptom onset.