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Background: The Neuroform Atlas Stent System is an established treatment modality for unruptured anterior and posterior circulation intracranial aneurysms. Location-specific results are needed to guide treatment decision-making. However, it is unclear whether there are differences in safety and efficacy outcomes between carotid and more distal anterior circulation aneurysms., Methods: The ATLAS IDE trial was a prospective, multicenter, single-arm, open-label interventional study that evaluated the safety and efficacy of the Neuroform Atlas Stent System. We compared differences in efficacy and safety outcomes of proximal internal carotid artery (ICA) versus distal and bifurcation anterior circulation aneurysms., Results: Of 182 cases, there were 70 aneurysms in the ICA and 112 in the distal anterior circulation (including ICA terminus/bifurcation). There were no significant differences in the primary efficacy endpoint (85.5% vs 83.9%, p=0.78) and complete aneurysm occlusion rates (88.7% vs 87.9%, p=0.78) between proximal ICA aneurysms and distal aneurysms, respectively. Complications were more often encountered in distal and bifurcation aneurysms, but the overall rate of major safety events was low and comparable between the two groups (1.4% vs 6.3%, p=0.14). Recanalization and retreatment rates were also similar between the groups., Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the Neuroform Atlas Stent System is a safe and efficacious treatment modality for unruptured anterior circulation intracranial aneurysms, regardless of aneurysm location., Trial Registration Number: NCT02340585., Competing Interests: Competing interests: RAH is a consultant for Medtronic, Stryker, Cerenovous, Microvention, Balt, Phenox, Rapid Medical and Q’Apel, Imperative Care, Phenox, and Rapid Medical. He is on the advisory board for MiVI, eLum, Three Rivers, Shape Medical, and Corindus. He is in receipt of unrestricted research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Interline Endowment, Microvention, Stryker, CNX, and Balt. He is an investor/stockholder for InNeuroCo, Cerebrotech, eLum, Endostream, Three Rivers Medical Inc, Scientia, RisT, BlinkTBI, and Corindus. BTJ is a consultant for Stryker and a consultant/proctor for Medtronic. ES reports a speaker’s agreement with Stryker. BG is a consultant for Medtronic, Microvention, and Stryker. RGG is a consultant and receives personal fees from Cerenovus. DF reports consultant/speakers bureau for Stryker, Siemens, Penumbra, and Scientia; and serves on the SNIS board of directors. LLP is a Principal Biostatistician employed at Stryker Neurovascular and holds stock in Stryker. SWH reports core lab services for Stryker, Route 92; is an Imperative Care consultant; is a stockholder for Filtro and ThrombX; and serves on the SNIS board of directors. OOZ reports research grants from Stryker, Medtronic, Cerenovus, Penumbra, and Genentech; he is a consultant and speaker for Cerenovus, Stryker, Penumbra, and Medtronic; data safety monitoring board for Premier; has an ownership interest in Galaxy Therapeutics Inc.; and serves on SVIN committees. The other authors report no conflicts of interest., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Steal syndrome is characterized by the disruption of blood flow from specific vascular territories due to perfusion via collateral vessels bypassing an obstructed artery segment. In the neurovascular setting, this can lead to entities such as subclavian steal syndrome or the less prevalent double steal phenomenon, primarily associated with atherosclerosis. We present a case of an early 80s patient with cerebrovascular insufficiency who exhibited neurological deficits during mastication. The angiographic evaluation showed occlusion at the origins of the left common carotid and of the brachiocephalic trunk. This configuration caused the left vertebral artery to be the only vessel filling anterograde. The flow in the right vertebral artery is retrograde, filling the subclavian and the right common carotid artery. Endovascular revascularization of the brachiocephalic trunk was successfully performed using a Gore Viabahn VBX Balloon Expandable Stent (W.L. Gore & Associates, Flagstaff, AZ, USA), leading to symptom resolution., Competing Interests: None declared., (Published by Oxford University Press and JSCR Publishing Ltd. © The Author(s) 2024.)

Background: The pipeline embolization device (PED) has been increasingly used to treat brain aneurysms; however, concerns have been raised about braid stability with newer drawn filled tubing technology devices., Objective: To evaluate braid stability of PED early generations using data from the PREMIER trial., Methods: All consecutive intracranial aneurysms treated with PED (Classic and Flex) within the PREMIER trial were reviewed for braid stability (fish mouthing, foreshortening, braid bump, braid collapsing). Immediate postprocedure cone-beam CT and angiography were compared with 1- and 2- years' follow-up. Analyses included safety, measured with the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score, including +1 mRS point and a good clinical outcome (mRS score 0-2), vessel stenosis ≥50%, effectiveness measured with Raymond-Roy Scale, and re-treatment rates., Results: 133/141 aneurysms had a complete dataset. 8/133 (6%) aneurysms showed braid deformations. Inter-reader agreement was excellent (κ=0.83). Braid deformations were statistically significantly associated with in-stent vessel stenosis >50% (P=0.029), without impact on effectiveness or safety. Fish mouthing was found in 1/133 (0.75%) at 1 year, causing >50% vessel stenosis. Foreshortening occurred in 6/133 (4.5%), and braid bump in 1/133 (0.75%) associated with severe in-stent stenosis. Four other cases (3.0%) of asymptomatic in-stent stenosis due to neointimal hyperplasia were seen without braid changes. No new braid stability deformations were found at the 2-year follow-up., Conclusion: Our study demonstrates excellent braid stability among patients treated with the PED Classic and Flex in the PREMIER trial. Within the uncommon braid changes observed, none affected the PED safety or efficacy., Trial Registration Number: NCT02186561., Competing Interests: Competing interests: DKL is a consultant for Asahi, Medtronic, and Stryker; has received honoraria from Siemens, Medtronic, Stryker, and Phenox. DFK received research support from Cerenovus, Sensome, Neurogami Medical, Insera Therapeutics, Medtronic, Microvention, Balt, Monarch Biosciences, Brainomix, MiVi, Stryker, and NIH; royalties from Medtronic; is on the DSMB of NoNO Inc and Vesalio; is a stockholder Nested Knowledge, Superior Medical Experts, Marblehead Medical, and Conway Medical. JF: research support: German Ministry of Science & Education (BMBF) and of Economy and Innovation (BMWi), German Research Foundation (DFG), European Union (EU), Hamburgische Investitions, and Förderbank (IFB), Medtronic, Microvention, Route92, Stryker; consultant for: Acandis, Cerenovus, Medtronic, Microvention, Penumbra, Phenox, Roche, Stryker, TG Med, Tonbridge. Stockholder: Tegus Medical, Vastrax, Eppdata. RAH is a consultant for Medtronic, Stryker, Cerenovus, Microvention, Balt, Phenox, Rapid Medical, and Q’Apel; he is on the advisory board for MiVI, eLum, Three Rivers, Shape Medical, and Corindus; he has received unrestricted research grants from NIH, Interline Endowment, Microvention, Stryker, CNX; he is an investor/stockholder for InNeuroCo, Cerebrotech, eLum, Endostream, Three Rivers Medical Inc, Scientia, RisT, BlinkTBI, and Corindus., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Backgrounds: Recent trials have shown improved outcomes after mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for vertebrobasilar occlusion (VBO) stroke. However, there is a paucity of data regarding safety and outcomes of rescue intracranial stenting (RS) after failed MT (FRRS+) for posterior circulation stroke. We sought to compare RS to failed reperfusion without RS (FRRS-)., Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of the Stenting and Angioplasty in NeuroThrombectomy (SAINT) study, a multicenter collaboration involving prospectively collected databases. Patients were included if they had posterior circulation stroke and failed MT. The cohort was divided into two groups: FRRS+ and FRRS- (defined as modified Thrombolysis In Cerebral Infarction (mTICI) score 0-2a). The primary outcome was a shift in the degree of disability as measured by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 90 days. Secondary outcomes included mRS 0-2 and mRS 0-3 at 90 days. Safety measures included rates of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH), procedural complications, and 90-day mortality. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were performed to identify outcomes in a matched cohort and in those with VBO, respectively., Results: A total of 152 failed thrombectomies were included in the analysis. FRRS+ (n=84) was associated with increased likelihood of lower disability (acOR 2.24, 95% CI 1.04 to 4.95, P=0.04), higher rates of mRS 0-2 (26.8% vs 12.5%, aOR 4.43, 95% CI 1.22 to 16.05, P=0.02) and mRS 0-3 (35.4% vs 18.8%, aOR 3.13, 95% CI 1.08 to 9.10, P=0.036), and lower mortality (42.7% vs 59.4%, aOR 0.40, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.97, P=0.04) at 90 days compared with FRRS- (n=68). The rates of sICH and procedural complications were comparable between the groups. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses showed similar results., Conclusion: In patients with posterior circulation stroke who had failed MT, RS resulted in better functional outcomes with comparable safety profile to procedure termination., Competing Interests: Competing interests: RGN reports consulting fees for advisory roles with Stryker Neurovascular, Cerenovus, Medtronic, Phenox, Anaconda, Genentech, Biogen, Prolong Pharmaceuticals, Imperative Care and stock options for advisory roles with Brainomix, Viz-AI, Corindus Vascular Robotics, Vesalio, Ceretrieve, Astrocyte and Cerebrotech. DCH is a consultant for Stryker and Vesalio and holds stock options at Viz.AI. ARA is a consultant for Stryker Neurovascular. AEH - 1. Consultant/speaker: Medtronic, Microvention, Stryker, Penumbra, Cerenovus, Genentech, GE Healthcare, Scientia, Balt, Viz.ai, Insera therapeutics, Proximie, NovaSignal and Vesalio. 2. Principal investigator: COMPLETE study Penumbra, LVO SYNCHRONISE-Viz.ai. 3. Steering committee/publication committee member: SELECT, DAWN, SELECT 2, EXPEDITE II, EMBOLISE, CLEAR. 4. Proctor: Pipeline, FRED, Wingspan, and Onyx. 5. Supported by grants from: GE Healthcare. TNN: advisory board for Idorsia, Brainomix. SOG reports consulting fees for advisory roles with Stryker Neurovascular, Medtronic and microvention. Research support from Medtronic, Stryker, Microvention, VizAI. AA is consultant for Cerenovus. JB is an Advisory Board Member and consultant for Longeviti Neuro Solutions, and Consultant for Q’Apel Medical. BG is a consultant for Medtronic and Microvention. RAH is a consultant for Medtronic, Stryker, Cerenovus, Microvention, Balt, Phenox, Rapid Medical, and Q’Apel, advisory board for MiVI, eLum, Three Rivers, Shape Medical and Corindus. Unrestricted research grant from NIH, Interline Endowment, Microvention, Stryker, CNX. Investor/stockholder for InNeuroCo, Cerebrotech, eLum, Endostream, Three Rivers Medical Inc, Scientia, RisT, BlinkTBI, and Corindus. ES reports a speakers’ agreement with Stryker. AA is on the advisory board for iSchema View. JES reports consulting fees from Ceribell, speakers’ bureau for AstraZeneca (both unrelated to the present work)., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: This study aims to address the safety and efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in acute ischemic stroke with an established infarction equal to or >50 mL with a significant difference between penumbra and established infarction detected by perfusion cerebral computed tomography (CT) with the Rapid ® system., Methods: This was a retrospective case-control study. Patients diagnosed with established and extensive ischemic stroke, defined by an ischemic volume equal to or >50 mL on CT or magnetic resonance imaging perfusion using the RAPID ® system, were examined. The intervention group received endovascular interventional treatment with or without recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) in addition to standard therapy, and the control group received conservative treatment with or without rt-PA plus standard therapy., Results: A total of 59 patients were enrolled, including 38 in the intervention group and 21 in the control group. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. Patient National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale at discharge was significantly different between the control (median 30, interquartile range [IQR] 13) and intervention group (median 8, IQR 14) ( P < 0.001). Modified Rankin scale (mRS) scores were significantly different at discharge between intervention (median mRS 2, IQR 3) and controls (median mRS 5, IQR 1) ( P = 0.002). These mRS differences remained significant at 90 days, with median (IQR) values of 2 (2.75) and 5 (1), respectively ( P < 0.001)., Conclusion: MT is safe and effective for large-core ischemic strokes with significant perfusion mismatch, leading to better functional outcomes without significant complications compared to the best medical treatment., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2024 Surgical Neurology International.)

Objective: To evaluate variability in aneurysm detection and the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) software as a screening tool by comparing conventional computed tomography angiography (CTA) images (standard care) with AI software., Methods: Neuroradiologists reviewed 770 CTA images and reported the presence or absence of saccular aneurysms. Subsequently, the images were analyzed by AI software. If the software suspected an aneurysm, it flagged the corresponding image. In cases where there was a mismatch between the radiologist's report and the AI findings, an expert neurosurgeon evaluated CTA images providing a definitive conclusion on the presence or absence of an aneurysm., Results: AI software flagged 33 cases as potential aneurysms; 16 cases were positively identified as aneurysms by radiologists, and 17 were dismissed. A total of 737 cases were considered negative by AI software, while in the same group, radiologists identified aneurysms in 28 CTA images. Compared with the radiologist's report, AI performance had a sensitivity of 36%, specificity of 97.6%, and negative predictive value of 96.2%. There were 45 mismatch cases between AI and radiologists. AI flagged 17 images as showing an aneurysm that was unreported by radiologists; the expert neurosurgeon confirmed that 7 of the 17 images showed an aneurysm. In 28 images considered negative by AI, radiologists indicated aneurysms; 17 of those confirmed by the neurosurgeon., Conclusions: AI has the potential to increase the diagnosis of unruptured intracranial aneurysms. However, it must be used as an adjacent tool within the standard of care due to limited applicability in real-world settings., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Importance: The time-benefit association of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) in ischemic stroke with patient-reported outcomes is unknown., Objective: To assess the time-dependent association of EVT with self-reported quality of life in patients with acute ischemic stroke., Design, Setting, and Participants: Data were used from the Safety and Efficacy of Nerinetide in Subjects Undergoing Endovascular Thrombectomy for Stroke (ESCAPE-NA1) trial, which tested the effect of nerinetide on functional outcomes in patients with large vessel occlusion undergoing EVT and enrolled patients from March 1, 2017, to August 12, 2019. The ESCAPE-NA1 trial was an international randomized clinical trial that recruited patients from 7 countries. Patients with EuroQol 5-dimension 5-level (EQ-5D-5L) index values at 90 days and survivors with complete domain scores were included in the current study. Data were analyzed from July to September 2023., Exposure: Hospital arrival to arterial puncture time and other time metrics., Main Outcomes and Measures: EQ-5D-5L index scores were calculated at 90 days using country-specific value sets. The association between time from hospital arrival to EVT arterial-access (door-to-puncture) and EQ-5D-5L index score, quality-adjusted life years, and visual analog scale (EQ-VAS) were evaluated using quantile regression, adjusting for age, sex, stroke severity, stroke imaging, wake-up stroke, alteplase, and nerinetide treatment and accounting for clustering by site. Using logistic regression, the association between door-to-puncture time and reporting no or slight symptoms (compared with moderate, severe, or extreme problems) was determined in each domain (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain or discomfort, and anxiety or depression) or across all domains. Time from stroke onset was also evaluated, and missing data were imputed in sensitivity analyses., Results: Among 1105 patients in the ESCAPE-NA1 trial, there were 1043 patients with EQ-5D-5L index values at 90 days, among whom 147 had died and were given a score of 0, and 1039 patients (mean [SD] age, 69.0 [13.7] years; 527 male [50.7%]) in the final analysis as 4 did not receive EVT. There were 896 survivors with complete domain scores at 90 days. There was a strong association between door-to-puncture time and EQ-5D-5L index score (increase of 0.03; 95% CI, 0.02-0.04 per 15 minutes of earlier treatment), quality-adjusted life years (increase of 0.29; 95% CI, 0.08-0.49 per 15 minutes of earlier treatment), and EQ-VAS (increase of 1.65; 95% CI, 0.56-2.72 per 15 minutes of earlier treatment). Each 15 minutes of faster door-to-puncture time was associated with higher probability of no or slight problems in each of 5 domains and all domains concurrently (range from 1.86%; 95% CI, 1.14-2.58 for pain or discomfort to 3.55%; 95% CI, 2.06-5.04 for all domains concurrently). Door-to-puncture time less than 60 minutes was associated higher odds of no or slight problems in each domain, ranging from odds ratios of 1.49 (95% CI, 1.13-1.95) for pain or discomfort to 2.59 (95% CI, 1.83-3.68) for mobility, with numbers needed to treat ranging from 7 to 17. Results were similar after multiple imputation of missing data and attenuated when evaluating time from stroke onset., Conclusions and Relevance: Results suggest that faster door-to-puncture EVT time was strongly associated with better health-related quality of life across all domains. These results support the beneficial impact of door-to-treatment speed on patient-reported outcomes and should encourage efforts to improve patient-centered care in acute stroke by optimizing in-hospital processes and workflows.

Aneurysm treatment presents various therapeutic options. Flow diverters (FD) stents are a revolutionizing endovascular technique for previously untreatable aneurysms.1 FD stents have documented success rates up to 95% and complication rates as low as 2.3%.2 This modality has proven its effectiveness and safety, but it is critical to consider potential complications. Complications include vascular-related problems such as perforation, occlusion, cerebral hyperperfusion, stent thrombosis, restenosis, and embolic events.3 To date, there is no standardized definition for braid collapse and fish-mouthing; however, braid collapse has been reported to occur at a rate of 1% and the latter at a rate of 3%.4 This technical video presents a case of a 51-year-old woman initially treated with a Surpass Evolve flow diverter (Stryker) for a right ophthalmic aneurysm. Secondary to device malapposition and collapse, she developed recurrent ischemic progressive neurologic impairment symptoms. The braid collapse was treated using a Pipeline Embolization device 3.25 × 20 mm (Medtronic) because this device exhibited a larger partial compressive force when compared with the 64-wire device.5 The procedure was uneventful and significantly improved the patient's neurologic symptoms. This technical video illustrates rescue stenting as a salvage intervention for FD collapse cases. The patient gave informed consent for surgery. Institutional review board approval was deemed unnecessary., (Copyright © Congress of Neurological Surgeons 2024. All rights reserved.)