Objective To observe the efficacy and safety of mechanical thrombectomy in acute ischemic stroke patients after vertebral-basilar artery stent implantation.Methods From May 2018 to October 2022,patients with acute vertebral basilar artery occlusion who underwent mechanical thrombectomy were retrospectively analyzed.The patients were divided into two groups:stent occlusion group and acute atherosclerotic stenosis occlusion(ICAS)group.The baseline characteristics of the two groups were balanced by propensity score matching method.The successful recanalization rate,90-day good outcome rate,90-day mortality rate,and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage rate were compared.Results We enrolled 107 patients,with 14 cases in stent occlusion group and 93 cases in ICAS group.We analyzed 14 pairs by propensity score matching,including 14 cases in stent occlusion group and 27 cases in ICAS group.The successful recanalization rate and 90-day good outcome rate was lower in stent occlusion group than in ICAS group[(78.6％(11/14)vs.100％(27/27),P=0.062,28.6％(4/14)vs.44.4％(12/27),X2=0.976,P=0.323],but there was no statistical difference.The 90-day mortality rate in the stent occlusion group was significantly higher than that in the ICAS group[57.1％(8/14)vs.25.9％(7/27),x2=3.873,P=0.049].The incidence of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage was higher in the stent occlusion group than in the ICAS group,with no statistical difference[35.7％(5/14)vs.14.8％(4/27),x2=1.289,P=0.256].Conclusion The successful recanalization rate,90-day good outcome rate,and incidence of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage in stent occlusion group did not significantly differ from those in ICAS group,but the 90-day mortality rate was significantly higher in the former group.

Objective To observe the efficacy and safety of mechanical thrombectomy in acute ischemic stroke patients after vertebral-basilar artery stent implantation.Methods From May 2018 to October 2022,patients with acute vertebral basilar artery occlusion who underwent mechanical thrombectomy were retrospectively analyzed.The patients were divided into two groups:stent occlusion group and acute atherosclerotic stenosis occlusion(ICAS)group.The baseline characteristics of the two groups were balanced by propensity score matching method.The successful recanalization rate,90-day good outcome rate,90-day mortality rate,and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage rate were compared.Results We enrolled 107 patients,with 14 cases in stent occlusion group and 93 cases in ICAS group.We analyzed 14 pairs by propensity score matching,including 14 cases in stent occlusion group and 27 cases in ICAS group.The successful recanalization rate and 90-day good outcome rate was lower in stent occlusion group than in ICAS group[(78.6％(11/14)vs.100％(27/27),P=0.062,28.6％(4/14)vs.44.4％(12/27),X2=0.976,P=0.323],but there was no statistical difference.The 90-day mortality rate in the stent occlusion group was significantly higher than that in the ICAS group[57.1％(8/14)vs.25.9％(7/27),x2=3.873,P=0.049].The incidence of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage was higher in the stent occlusion group than in the ICAS group,with no statistical difference[35.7％(5/14)vs.14.8％(4/27),x2=1.289,P=0.256].Conclusion The successful recanalization rate,90-day good outcome rate,and incidence of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage in stent occlusion group did not significantly differ from those in ICAS group,but the 90-day mortality rate was significantly higher in the former group.

Objective:To explore the factors associated with vascular luminal dilatational remodeling (VLDR) following balloon angioplasty for intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS).Methods:A case-control study was conducted to analyze the data of symptomatic severe ICAS patients who received either paclitaxel-coated balloon angioplasty (PCBA) or plain balloon angioplasty (POBA) at our center from January 2019 to January 2022 and completed the six-month follow-up. The patients were divided into VLDR group and non-VLDR group according to whether VLDR occurred on follow-up digital subtraction angiography (DSA). The baseline data, preoperative and postoperative lesion characteristics (DSA), and perioperative related information were collected. The definition of VLDR was a decrease in luminal stenosis rate by more than 10% at the time of follow-up compared to the immediate postoperative period. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to analyze possible factors affecting VLDR such as balloon type, balloon length, and expansion time.Results:A total of 88 patients were included in this study, with 16 in the VLDR group and 72 in the non-VLDR group. The follow-up time for all included patients was 6.00 (5.00, 7.00) months. VLDR occurred in 18.2% (16/88) of cases, with a VLDR incidence of 30.4% (14/46) after PCBA and 4.8% (2/42) after POBA. Univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that treatment balloon type, balloon length, inflated time, immediate postoperative stenosis rate, follow-up time and Mori classification may affect the occurrence of VLDR. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the use of paclitaxel-coated balloon (PCB) ( OR=9.82, 95% CI 1.99-48.49, P=0.005) and postoperative immediate stenosis rate ( OR=1.07, 95% CI 1.00-1.14, P=0.042) were independently associated with VLDR. Conclusion:The occurrence of VLDR following balloon angioplasty in ICAS was associated with the use of PCB and immediate postoperative stenosis rates, which will provide guidance for the clinical application of PCB.

Objective To investigate the factors affecting the prognosis of endovascular treatment(EVT)for acute vertebrobasilar artery occlusion(AVBAO)within 24 h of onset of disease.Methods General and clinical data of AVBAO patients admitted to the Department of Cerebrovascular Diseases,Henan Provincial People's Hospital who received EVT within 24h of onset from October 2020 to September 2023 were retrospectively and consecutively included,including age,sex,stroke-related risk factors(hyperlipidemia,hypertension,diabetes mellitus,atrial fibrillation,coronary artery disease,smoking,and previous stroke),preoperative National Institutes of Health stroke scale(NIHSS)score,preoperative modified Rankin scale(mRS)score,form of onset,preoperative intravenous thrombolysis,posterior circulation Alberta stroke program early CT score(pc-ASPECTS),basilar artery on computed tomography angiography(BATMAN)score,site of occlusion(intracranial segment of vertebral artery,basilar artery),and surgical procedure(direct aspiration and/or stent-retrieval,balloon dilatation,stenting,etc.First-line stenting or balloon dilatation is direct angioplasty;if blood flow cannot be maintained after thrombectomy,further balloon dilatation and/or stenting is required as remedial angioplasty),onset-to-puncture time,puncture-to-recanalization time,and postprocedure immediate modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction(mTICI)grading(successful recanalization was defined as mTICI grading 2b or 3),and perioperative complications(intraprocedural thrombus migration,intraprocedural reocclusion,intraprocedural dissection,postoperative hemorrhagic transformation within 3 d,and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage[sICH]).Patient prognosis was assessed by mRS score at 90 d postoperatively.The mRS score≤3 was classified as good prognosis,and mRS score＞3 was classified as poor prognosis.Indicators with P＜0.1 in the results of univariate analysis were included,and variables were screened by backward elimination and subjected to multifactorial Logistic regression analysis to analyze the factors influencing the prognosis of AVBAO patients undergoing EVT within 24 h of the onset of the disease.Results A total of 149 AVBAO patients who underwent EVT were included,including 79 patients with good prognosis,70 patients with poor prognosis,145 patients with successful revascularization,34 patients with perioperative complications,and 32 patients with death.(1)The results of univariate analysis showed that compared with patients with poor prognosis,patients with good prognosis had lower preoperative NIHSS scores(16.0[12.0,23.0]vs.24.5[16.8,31.3],Z=-4.280,P＜0.01)and preoperative mRS scores(4[4,4]vs.5[4,5],Z=-4.711,P＜0.01),a lower percentage of diabetes mellitus(15.2％[12/79]vs.35.7％[25/70],x2=8.376,P=0.004),and the incidence of postoperative hemorrhagic transformation within 3d(7.6％[6/79]vs.25.7％[18/70],x2=-0.246,P=0.003)and the incidence of sICH(1.3％[1/79]vs.14.3％[10/70],x2=-0.249,P=0.002)were significantly lower in patients with good prognosis than that in patients with poor prognosis.(2)Age,hyperlipidemia,diabetes mellitus,preoperative NIHSS score,preoperative mRS score,postoperative hemorrhagic transformation within 3 d and sICH were included in multifactorial Logistic regression analysis,which showed that hyperlipidemia(OR,2.433,95％CI 1.088-5.441),diabetes mellitus(OR,2.797,95％CI 1.168-6.701),high preoperative NIHSS score(OR,3.715,95％CI 1.684-8.195),and postoperative sICH within 3 d(OR,19.681,95％CI 1.984-195.192)were the independent risk factors for poor prognosis of patients with AVBAO who underwent EVT within 24 h of onset(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Hyperlipidemia,diabetes mellitus,high preoperative NIHSS score,and postoperative sICH within 3 d were independent risk factors for poor prognosis in AVBAO patients who underwent EVT within 24 h of onset.

Objective To investigate the factors affecting the prognosis of endovascular treatment(EVT)for acute vertebrobasilar artery occlusion(AVBAO)within 24 h of onset of disease.Methods General and clinical data of AVBAO patients admitted to the Department of Cerebrovascular Diseases,Henan Provincial People's Hospital who received EVT within 24h of onset from October 2020 to September 2023 were retrospectively and consecutively included,including age,sex,stroke-related risk factors(hyperlipidemia,hypertension,diabetes mellitus,atrial fibrillation,coronary artery disease,smoking,and previous stroke),preoperative National Institutes of Health stroke scale(NIHSS)score,preoperative modified Rankin scale(mRS)score,form of onset,preoperative intravenous thrombolysis,posterior circulation Alberta stroke program early CT score(pc-ASPECTS),basilar artery on computed tomography angiography(BATMAN)score,site of occlusion(intracranial segment of vertebral artery,basilar artery),and surgical procedure(direct aspiration and/or stent-retrieval,balloon dilatation,stenting,etc.First-line stenting or balloon dilatation is direct angioplasty;if blood flow cannot be maintained after thrombectomy,further balloon dilatation and/or stenting is required as remedial angioplasty),onset-to-puncture time,puncture-to-recanalization time,and postprocedure immediate modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction(mTICI)grading(successful recanalization was defined as mTICI grading 2b or 3),and perioperative complications(intraprocedural thrombus migration,intraprocedural reocclusion,intraprocedural dissection,postoperative hemorrhagic transformation within 3 d,and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage[sICH]).Patient prognosis was assessed by mRS score at 90 d postoperatively.The mRS score≤3 was classified as good prognosis,and mRS score＞3 was classified as poor prognosis.Indicators with P＜0.1 in the results of univariate analysis were included,and variables were screened by backward elimination and subjected to multifactorial Logistic regression analysis to analyze the factors influencing the prognosis of AVBAO patients undergoing EVT within 24 h of the onset of the disease.Results A total of 149 AVBAO patients who underwent EVT were included,including 79 patients with good prognosis,70 patients with poor prognosis,145 patients with successful revascularization,34 patients with perioperative complications,and 32 patients with death.(1)The results of univariate analysis showed that compared with patients with poor prognosis,patients with good prognosis had lower preoperative NIHSS scores(16.0[12.0,23.0]vs.24.5[16.8,31.3],Z=-4.280,P＜0.01)and preoperative mRS scores(4[4,4]vs.5[4,5],Z=-4.711,P＜0.01),a lower percentage of diabetes mellitus(15.2％[12/79]vs.35.7％[25/70],x2=8.376,P=0.004),and the incidence of postoperative hemorrhagic transformation within 3d(7.6％[6/79]vs.25.7％[18/70],x2=-0.246,P=0.003)and the incidence of sICH(1.3％[1/79]vs.14.3％[10/70],x2=-0.249,P=0.002)were significantly lower in patients with good prognosis than that in patients with poor prognosis.(2)Age,hyperlipidemia,diabetes mellitus,preoperative NIHSS score,preoperative mRS score,postoperative hemorrhagic transformation within 3 d and sICH were included in multifactorial Logistic regression analysis,which showed that hyperlipidemia(OR,2.433,95％CI 1.088-5.441),diabetes mellitus(OR,2.797,95％CI 1.168-6.701),high preoperative NIHSS score(OR,3.715,95％CI 1.684-8.195),and postoperative sICH within 3 d(OR,19.681,95％CI 1.984-195.192)were the independent risk factors for poor prognosis of patients with AVBAO who underwent EVT within 24 h of onset(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Hyperlipidemia,diabetes mellitus,high preoperative NIHSS score,and postoperative sICH within 3 d were independent risk factors for poor prognosis in AVBAO patients who underwent EVT within 24 h of onset.

Objective:To investigate the pathogenesis, selection of endovascular treatment (EVT) strategies, and efficacies of acute vertebrobasilar artery occlusion (AVBAO) of different lesion sites.Methods:One hundred and five patients with AVBAO, admitted to and accepted EVT in our hospital from February 2017 to September 2019, were chosen in our study. The data of disease onset, imaging findings, EVT status, perioperative complications, and prognoses of these patients were collected. According to DSA results, the involved lesions were divided into 4 sites: the upper segment of basilar artery (BA), the middle segment of BA, the lower segment of BA, and the intracranial segment of vertebral artery (V4 segment), and patients with tandem lesions would be recorded as distal lesions. The risk factors, EVT strategies, and prognoses 90 d after follow-up (modified Rankin scale [mRS] scores≤3: good prognosis) were compared in patients with 4 different lesion sites.Results:There were significant differences in etiological classifications and percentage of patients combined with atrial fibrillation among patients with 4 different lesion sites ( P<0.05). There was significant difference in proportion of patients accepted emergency stent implantation among patients with 4 different lesion sites ( P<0.05): those with lesions at the V4 segment had the highest proportion of patients accepted emergency stent implantation (79.55%), followed by those with lesions at the lower segment of BA (50.00%). There was significant difference in EVT time (the time from arterial puncture to successful recanalization of occluded vessels) among patients with 4 different lesion sites ( P<0.05): the EVT time in patients with lesions at the middle segment of BA was the shortest (87.5 [58.5, 130.8] min), and the EVT time in patients with lesions at the lower segment of BA was the longest (115.0 [81.0, 163.0] min). There was no statistical difference among patients with different lesion sites in good prognosis rate 90 d after follow-up ( P>0.05). Conclusion:The pathogenesis of patients with different AVBAO lesion sites is different, so different EVT strategies should be adopted.

Objective:To assess the role of arterial spin labeling (ASL) in detecting the blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability of cerebral infarction lesions in patients with anterior circulation subacute ischemic stroke (SIS), and to evaluate the value of ASL in predicting hemorrhagic transformation (HT) of SIS patients after endovascular recanalization.Methods:A prospective analysis was performed. Patients with anterior circulation SIS who received endovascular treatment (EVT) in our hospital from January 2021 to September 2021 were enrolled. At 24 h before EVT and immediately after EVT, MRI scans of ASL sequences and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance (DCE) sequence were completed, and Xper CT was performed; accordingly, imaging typing was performed. Head CT scan was performed 24-48 h after EVT to observe HT; according to the presence or absence of HT, these patients were divided into HT group and non-HT group; the relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF) values of ASL sequence parameters, volume transfer constant (K trans) of DCE sequence parameters and the differences of ASL, DCE and Xper CT imaging types between the two groups were compared. The weighted Kappa coefficient was used to test the consistency among ASL, DCE and Xper CT imaging types. Results:Among 22 eligible patients, 5 patients occurred HT (5/22, 22.72%). As compared with those in the non-HT group (1.14±0.04; 0.032[0.024, 0.039]/min), patients in the HT group had significantly higher rCBF value (1.57±0.18) and K trans (0.072[0.0455, 0.117]/min, P<0.05). There were significant differences in the distribution of ASL, DCE and Xper CT imaging types between the two groups ( P<0.05); among them, 4 out of 6 patients with ASL imaging type III, 4 out of 6 patients with DCE imaging type III, and 4 out of 5 patients with Xper CT imaging type III had HT. ASL sequence and DCE sequence had a high consistency in the imaging types (Kappa coefficient=0.941, 95%CI: 0.862-1.020, P<0.001). Conclusion:ASL can effectively evaluate the BBB permeability of cerebral infarction lesions in patients with anterior circulation SIS; patients with ASL imaging type III have a relatively high risk of HT.

Objective:To assess the role of arterial spin labeling (ASL) in detecting the blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability of cerebral infarction lesions in patients with anterior circulation subacute ischemic stroke (SIS), and to evaluate the value of ASL in predicting hemorrhagic transformation (HT) of SIS patients after endovascular recanalization.Methods:A prospective analysis was performed. Patients with anterior circulation SIS who received endovascular treatment (EVT) in our hospital from January 2021 to September 2021 were enrolled. At 24 h before EVT and immediately after EVT, MRI scans of ASL sequences and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance (DCE) sequence were completed, and Xper CT was performed; accordingly, imaging typing was performed. Head CT scan was performed 24-48 h after EVT to observe HT; according to the presence or absence of HT, these patients were divided into HT group and non-HT group; the relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF) values of ASL sequence parameters, volume transfer constant (K trans) of DCE sequence parameters and the differences of ASL, DCE and Xper CT imaging types between the two groups were compared. The weighted Kappa coefficient was used to test the consistency among ASL, DCE and Xper CT imaging types. Results:Among 22 eligible patients, 5 patients occurred HT (5/22, 22.72%). As compared with those in the non-HT group (1.14±0.04; 0.032[0.024, 0.039]/min), patients in the HT group had significantly higher rCBF value (1.57±0.18) and K trans (0.072[0.0455, 0.117]/min, P<0.05). There were significant differences in the distribution of ASL, DCE and Xper CT imaging types between the two groups ( P<0.05); among them, 4 out of 6 patients with ASL imaging type III, 4 out of 6 patients with DCE imaging type III, and 4 out of 5 patients with Xper CT imaging type III had HT. ASL sequence and DCE sequence had a high consistency in the imaging types (Kappa coefficient=0.941, 95%CI: 0.862-1.020, P<0.001). Conclusion:ASL can effectively evaluate the BBB permeability of cerebral infarction lesions in patients with anterior circulation SIS; patients with ASL imaging type III have a relatively high risk of HT.

Objective:To investigate the effect of thrombus burden on the clinical outcome of endovascular recanalization in large vessel occlusive stroke.Methods:Patients with acute anterior circulation occlusion who underwent endovascular treatment within 24 hours after onset in Zhengzhou University People′s Hospital from January 2018 to December 2019 were retrospectively collected. According to the clot burden score (CBS) of DSA, total objectives were divided into CBS≥6 group (24 cases) and CBS<6 group (38 cases). Clinical data of the two groups were collected and the modified Rankin scale (mRS) was used to evaluate the clinical outcome at 90 days after surgery. Independent sample t-test, Wilcoxon rank sum test and χ 2 test were used to compare the clinical data between the two groups. Independent risk factors affecting the clinical outcome were analyzed by binary logistic regression. Results:There were no statistically significant differences in basic demographic data, stroke risk factors and other factors between the CBS≥6 group and CBS<6 group ( P>0.05).The proportion of using tirofiban after surgery in the CBS≥6 group (63.2%, 24/38) was lower than that in the CBS<6 group (87.5%, 21/24) (χ2=4.380, P=0.044). The discharge NIHSS score of the CBS≥6 group was [5.0 (3.3, 7.8) points] lower than CBS<6 group [8.5 (1.8, 14.5) points] ( Z=5.221, P=0.022). The proportion of postoperative mRS 0-2 was (91.7%, 22/24) in the CBS≥6 group higher than CBS<6 group(39.5%, 15/38) (χ2=20.486, P=0.001), there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups ( P<0.05). The results of binary logistics regression analysis showed the CBS groups (OR=0.042, 95%CI 0.007-0.244 , P=0.001) was an independent risk factor affecting good outcome. Subgroup analysis of whether tirofiban was used or not showed there was no statistically significant difference in clinical prognosis between the two groups ( P>0.05). Conclusions:The clinical outcome of CBS≥6 group is significantly better than that of CBS<6 group, and patients with small thrombus burden are more likely to get a good clinical outcome of 90 days.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is often accompanied by digestive system dysfunction, such as intestinal dysfunction and dysbacteriosis. The activation of neuroendocrine system after TBI is one of the factors leading to gut microbiota changes. A variety of antimicrobial peptides secreted by Paneth cells are the key factors to maintain intestinal flora homeostasis. The dysfunction of Paneth cells after TBI may be responsible for gut microbiota changes. The authors review the mechanism of gut microbiota changes induced by TBI to provide new ideas for clinical treatment of gut microbiota changes caused by TBI.