ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Tandem occlusion, in which the intracranial artery is obstructed along with proximal carotid occlusive or stenotic lesions, occurs in 10-15% of patients with large vessel occlusion. Our study introduces a novel technique for tandem occlusion treatment that involves the simultaneous coaxial deployment of a percutaneous transluminal angioplasty balloon and aspiration catheters with the delivery wire of a stent retriever. After percutaneous transluminal angioplasty of the carotid lesion with a thin balloon catheter, the aspiration catheter was advanced over the balloon to eliminate the ledge between the catheter tip and delivery wire. After balloon removal, intracranial thrombectomy was performed using an aspiration catheter and stent retriever. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this approach. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical records of patients with acute stroke due to tandem occlusion treated using our technique were analyzed for its effectiveness and safety. The puncture-to-recanalization time, modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (mTICI) grade, functional prognosis and incidence of hyperperfusion were assessed. RESULTS: Seven patients were included in this study. In all patients, mTICI 2b-3 recanalization was achieved after smooth delivery of the aspiration catheter from the carotid lesion to the intracranial thrombus. The median puncture-to-recanalization time was 52 min. Ninety days post-stroke onset, six of seven patients had a modified Rankin Scale score of 0-2, and none of the patients had perioperative hyperperfusion syndrome. CONCLUSION: Our technique allows simultaneous treatment of carotid and intracranial lesions, leading to faster recanalization. Furthermore, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty with a thin balloon may reduce the risk of hyperperfusion.
