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 report single-center clinical experience with endovascular recanalization for non-acute symptomatic intracranial vertebral artery occlusion, to assess the feasibility and safety of endovascular recanalization and to propose the benefit group for selected patients.Methods:From January 2019 to December 2021, 92 patients with non-acute symptomatic intracranial vertebral artery occlusion who underwent endovascular recanalization were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into three groups (low, medium and high-risk group) according to occlusion length, occlusion duration, occlusion nature, calcification of the occlusion segment, and occlusion angulation, and the indicators of patients in each group were analyzed, including the general baseline data of the patients, surgical status and follow-up results. The technical success and perioperative complication rates of low, medium and high-risk groups were calculated. Meanwhile, the differences between three groups were evaluated using the χ2 test for trend or ANOVA analysis. Results:The overall technical success rate of endovascular recanalization was 83.7% (77/92), and the perioperative complication rate was 10.9% (10/92). Among the 3 classification groups, the recanalization success rate from the low-risk group to the high-risk group was 100%, 93.3%, 27.8%( P=0.047), and gradually decreased; while the overall perioperative complication rate was 0, 10.0%, 38.9% ( P=0.001), and gradually increased; the proportion of 90-day mRS score 0-2 was 100%, 83.3%, 22.2% ( P=0.026), and progressively decreased; 77 patients with successful recanalization were followed up, the rate of restenosis/reocclusion was 0, 17.9%, 80.0%( P=0.001), and progressively increased. Patients in the low-and intermediate-risk groups performed well with endovascular recanalization. In 88 patients (4 patients lost to follow-up), a median clinical follow-up of 13 (7, 16) months, stroke or death beyond 30 days was 17.4% (16/92). Conclusions:Endovascular recanalization is safe and feasible for reasonably selected patients with non-acute symptomatic intracranial vertebral artery occlusion, especially in low-and medium-risk groups, and it also provides an alternative to conservative therapy for patients with non-acute symptomatic intracranial vertebral artery occlusion.

Objective To monitor the number of microembolic signals(MES)during endovascular recanalization of symptomatic non-acute internal carotid artery occlusion(NA-ICAO),to investigate the risk steps for MES during sur-gery,and to improve the safety of endovascular treatment(EVT).Methods A prospective study was conducted among 56 patients with symptomatic NA-ICAO who received EVT from April 1,2022 to June 30,2023.The number of MES was recorded during the seven steps of reperfusion treatment,and transcranial Doppler was used for statistical analysis.All pa-tients underwent magnetic resonance imaging before and after surgery.According to the results of MES and the presence or absence of new infarcts on diffusion-weighted imaging(DWI)after surgery,the patients were divided into DWI(+)group and DWI(-)group.Results A relatively large number of MES was observed for both groups in the steps of searching for the true cavity through the occlusive segment with microguide wire(with a mean number of 21.81 and 17.75,respec-tively;P<0.05)and predilation for the first time(with a mean number of 23.29 and 17.43,respectively;P<0.05),and the number of new infarcts after surgery was significantly positively correlated with the total number of MES during surgery.Conclusion The steps of searching for the true cavity through the occlusive segment with microguide wire and predilation for the first time may easily induce MES,and the number of MES during surgery is correlated with infarcts after surgery.It is speculated that intraoperative MES is associated with new infarcts after surgery.

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 analyze the efficacy of the Post-stroke Depression Prediction Scale (DePreS) combined with the Early Symptom Measurement of Post-Stroke Depression-Short Form (ESMPSD-SF) in predicting post stroke depression (PSD).Methods:This study was a cross-sectional survey, using convenience sampling method to select 185 stroke patients admitted to Henan Provincial People′s Hospital from June 2019 to May 2021 as the research subjects. The DePreS, ESMPSD-SF, and general information questionnaire were used to investigate them.Results:The incidence of PSD was 36.76% (68/185). The DePreS and ESMPSD-SF scores in the PSD patients were (6.29 ± 8.77), (33.83 ± 6.78) points, respectively, significantly higher than those in the non-PSD patients (-2.05 ± 5.70), (26.51 ± 5.56) points, with statistically significant differences ( t=7.06, 7.97, both P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that DePreS and ESMPSD-SF scores, marital status, and the number of comorbidities were predictive factors for PSD occurrence ( P<0.05). The AUC of DePreS for diagnosing PSD was 0.777, with an optimal diagnostic point of 2 points, a sensitivity of 59.42%, and a specificity of 80.71%; the AUC of the ESMPSD-SF for diagnosing PSD was 0.792, with an optimal diagnostic point of 28 points, a sensitivity of 78.26%, and a specificity of 74.14%. The sensitivity, specificity, and AUC of DePreS combined with ESMPSD-SF in the diagnosis of PSD were 82.61%, 83.62%, and 0.886, respectively. The differences were statistically significant compared to the AUC evaluated separately by DePreS or ESMPSD-SF ( Z=3.21, 3.49, both P<0.05). Conclusions:The combination of DePreS and ESMPSD-SF had a higher detection efficiency for PSD, and the combination of the two is more suitable for assessing PSD risk in stroke patients.

Objective:To evaluate the safety and efficacy of drug-coated balloon (DCB) in the treatment of symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis.Methods:Forty-nine patients with symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis treated with DCB in the People′s Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2018 to August 2021 were retrospectively included. The location and number of lesions were as follows: 21 cases of the middle cerebral artery, 11 cases of the intracranial segment of vertebral artery, 12 cases of the basilar artery, and 5 cases of the intracranial segment of internal carotid artery. Pre-dilatation of the lesion with a normal balloon followed by DCB angioplasty. Clinical follow-up (outpatient or telephone) was carried out at 30 days, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year after the operation. Imaging follow-up was carried out at 6 months postoperatively. The surgical success rate (defined as the proportion of patients with residual stenosis<50% after balloon dilatation), perioperative safety (any strokes, TIA, and deaths within 1 month), stroke recurrence, and restenosis were analyzed.Results:The operation was performed in all patients successfully. The median stenosis level was 80% (75%, 85%) preoperatively and 20% (15%, 30%) at the time after the operation. The success rate of the operation was 91.8% (45/49). Stenting was given in 11 cases (22.4%, 11/49) for severe flow-limiting vascular entrapment, or non-flow-limiting entrapment, owing to the concern of subsequent progression of the entrapment. Three cases (6.1%, 3/49) had significant vascular elastic retraction and implement stent implantation. One patient (2.0%, 1/49) developed symptomatic cerebral infarction during perioperative period, and the symptoms improved after treatment. No fatal or disabling stroke occurred. All patients were followed-up successfully. The median follow-up time was 12 months. Two patients (4.1%, 2/49) had a stroke in the responsible vascular area, and 1 (2.0%, 1/49) patient had a stroke in the non-responsible vascular area. Thirty-eight patients (77.6%, 38/49) had followed-up images. The median follow-up time of postoperative imaging was 6 months. Restenosis occurred in two cases (1 case had symptomatic restenosis), and the incidence of restenosis was 5.3% (2/38).Conclusions:DCB in the treatment of symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis has a high technical success rate, good perioperative safety, and low stroke recurrence rate in short-term follow-up, demonstrating the good feasibility, safety, and efficacy of DCB.

Objective:To evaluate the safety, feasibility and efficacy of drug-coated balloon (DCB) in the treatment of in-stent restenosis (ISR) of the vertebrobasilar artery.Methods:Twenty-one patients with ISR of the vertebrobasilar artery treated with DCB at the Zhengzhou University People′s Hospital from January 2018 to December 2020 were retrospectively included. There were 22 lesions with ISR, of which 8 were located in the initial segments of vertebral artery, 12 were located in the V4 segment of the vertebral artery, and 2 were located in the basilar artery. The clinical prognosis was evaluated by modified Rankin Scale (mRS), and the target vessel restenosis was evaluated by DSA, CTA or MRA. The safety, feasibility and effectiveness of DCB in the treatment of vertebrobasilar artery ISR were analyzed by perioperative complications, technical success rate and follow-up.Results:All 21 patients with ISR underwent successful interventional surgery. No stroke, TIA and death occurred in perioperative period. During the operation, two cases (9.5%) were treated with Apollo stent due to the residual stenosis>50% after DCB dilation. The technical success rate was 90.5%. The mean stenosis of the target vessel was improved immediately from preoperative (78.1±11.3)% to postoperative (22.1±8.3)%. All the 21 patients were followed up. As of the last follow-up in September 2021, the median clinical follow-up period was 19 (12, 33.5) months, and there were no stroke, TIA and death caused by the corresponding artery. The mRS score was 0 in 18 patients 1 in 2 patients and 2 in 1 patient. Imaging follow-up was available in 13 cases (61.9%) with a median follow-up time of 7(5.5, 19) months, and the target vessel restenosis rate was 7.7% (1/13).Conclusions:This preliminary study has shown that DCB in the treatment of ISR of the vertebrobasilar artery is safe and feasible, with a high technical success rate and low restenosis rate, which provides clinical application evidence, but the long-term effect needs further follow-up observation.