Computed tomography perfusion-based selection of endovascularly treated acute ischaemic stroke patients - Are there lessons to be learned from the pre-evidence era?

Introduction Some of the latest groundbreaking trials suggest that noncontrast cranial computed tomography and computed tomography-angiography are sufficient tools for patient selection within six hours of symptom onset. Before endovascular stroke therapy became the standard of care, patient selection was one of the most useful tools to avoid futile reperfusions. We report the outcomes of endovascularly treated stroke patients selected with a perfusion-based paradigm and discuss the implications in the current era of endovascular treatment. Material and methods After an interdisciplinary meeting in September 2012 we agreed to select thrombectomy candidates primarily based on computed tomography perfusion with a cerebral blood volume Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Scale (CBV-ASPECTS) of <7 being a strong indicator of futile reperfusion. In this study, we retrospectively screened all patients with an M1 thrombosis in our neurointerventional database between September 2012 and December 2014. Results In 39 patients with a mean age of 69 years and a median admission National Institute of Health Stroke Scale of 17 the successful reperfusion rate was 74% and the favourable outcome rate at 90 days was 56%. Compared to previously published data from our database 2007-2011, we found that a two-point increase in median CBV-ASPECTS was associated with a significant increase in favourable outcomes. Conclusion Computed tomography perfusion imaging as an additional selection criterion significantly increased the rate of favourable clinical outcome in patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy. Although computed tomography perfusion has lost impact within the six-hour period, we still use it in cases beyond six hours as a means to broaden the therapeutic window.