Efficacy of Balloon Guide Catheter-Assisted Thrombus Repair in Stroke Treatment: A Retrospective Survey in China.

Background: The first-pass (FP) effect, defined by successful cerebral reperfusion from a single pass of an endovascular stentriever, was associated with shorter procedural times and possible improved outcomes in patients with ischemic stroke secondary to large vessel occlusion. The adjunctive use of balloon guide catheter (BGC) may increase the rates of the first-pass effect. In this retrospective study we examined the impact of BGC on the first-pass effect in acute stroke patients.
Methods: We included patients with acute ischemic stroke with large vessel occlusion treated by endovascular thrombectomy from 2018 to 2019. We categorized the cases into BGC and non-BGC groups. Differences in time metrics and outcomes were compared. Result: One hundred and thirty-two patients were included, and sixty-two were in BGC group (47.0%). The median procedural time was shorter (83.0 minutes vs 120.0 minutes, P = 0.000), and FP rate was higher in BGC group (58.1% vs 32.9%, P = 0.004) compared with non-BGC group. Proportion of modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (mMTICI) 3 was higher (66.1% vs 37.1%, P = 0.001), and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 0 to 2 was higher (59.7% vs 41.4%, P = 0.036) in BGC group compared with non-BGC group. In addition, BGC was associated with successful reperfusion odds ratio, 0.383; 95% confidence interval: 0.174-0.847; P = 0.018). The FP rate of BGC in the distal ICA was higher than that in the proximal ICA (87.5% vs 39.5%, P = 0.000), and the good clinical outcome rate at 90 days in the distal ICA was also higher than that in the proximal ICA (91.7% vs 39.5%, P = 0.000).
Conclusion: We showed that BGC shortened the procedural time and increased the rate of the successful FP. We recommend that BGC could be considered the preferred technique for endovascular intervention in stroke.

1. Introduction

Stroke is the leading cause of death among the elderly, with 2.5 million new cases occurring in China each year [1]. Acute ischemic stroke is the main pathological type of stroke caused by cerebral ischemia, leading to the dysfunction and degeneration of cerebrovascular components. At present, some effective treatments for acute ischemic stroke (including thrombolysis, endovascular revascularization, acute ischemic stroke reperfusion, etc.) have significantly improved the survival rate of acute ischemic stroke, but the reduction in mortality has also increased the number of survivors with complications after stroke [2].

Endovascular treatment of large vessel occlusion is superior to intravenous thrombolysis alone in patients with acute ischemic stroke secondary to large vessel occlusion within 24 hours ictal onset [3-9]. Endovascular treatment encompasses a range of techniques including lone stentriever with balloon guide catheter (BGC), contact aspiration, and combined stentriever with contact aspiration. BGC applied endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke can block blood flow during thrombus removal to prevent distal embolization [10]. A recent meta-analysis of studies showed that the use of BGC improved the grade of reperfusion and clinical outcomes in patients who had a stent retriever as their preferred treatment modality [11]. Endovascular thrombectomy is a new treatment for cerebral infarction in recent years, including stent thrombectomy and thrombectomy. In this procedure, a small catheter is entered through an artery (usually the femoral artery) and removed along with the clot at the site of the brain stem. Thrombectomy has shown benefit and safety in patients with less severe brain damage due to a smaller area of brain cell death (ischemic core) [12]. Hesse et al. [13] showed the improved reperfusion in combined stent retriever thrombectomy with aspiration compared with either stent thrombectomy or contact aspiration alone. This led to a preference in some endovascular centers for clot retrieval by the placement of stentriever within the target thrombus in addition to aspiration by a distal access catheter [14]. However, the results from Aspiration versus Stent Retriever study (ASTER) suggested that the stent retriever had a higher first-pass (FP) rate compared with aspiration technique (31.3% vs 26.3%) [15]. An alternative would be the deployment of BGC together with stentrieval which would involve proximal blood flow temporary blocking technique during mechanical thrombectomy [16-18]. FP rate of BGC in endovascular treatment was 63% [19], in addition to shorter procedural time [18]. Although the results of BGC were investigated in the Western stroke population, it was never reported in Chinese patients, leading to uncertainty of efficacy in this population.

In this study, we performed a retrospective study to investigate the effectiveness of BGC-assisted clot retrieval in Chinese stroke patients.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Study Setting

A total of 132 patients with anterior circulation ischemic stroke within 24 hours of stroke ictal onset were retrospectively screened to be included in our study. All patients were admitted to either Henan Provincial People's Hospital or Nanyang Central Hospital or Zhengzhou Central Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University from January 2018 to November 2019. All patients signed the informed consent. Inclusion criteria for endovascular therapy (EV) were as follows: 18-85 years old; National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) ≥ 6; brain CT hypo intensity < 1/3 of the infarcted area; modified Rankin Scale (mRS) ≤ 2; occlusion of intracranial internal carotid artery and/or middle cerebral artery M1 segment. Exclusion criteria were as follows: intracranial hemorrhage identified by CT or MR; life expectancy less than 3 months; pregnancy; or contrast agent allergy. The decision to allocate to BGC vs no-BGC was at the physicians' discretion. In addition, those who met the criterion of intravenous thrombolysis were treated by recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) followed by EV.

2.2. Description of EV Procedure

2.2.1. BGC Procedure

In this group, 64 patients underwent revascularization treatment using BGC proximal blood flow control technique combined with stentriever and aspiration. According to the patients' level of consciousness and degree of cooperation, local anesthesia or general anesthesia was selected. Seldinger technique was used for puncture through the right femoral artery [20]. A short vascular access sheath (8F) was placed. 8F BGC was placed in the proximal segment of the internal carotid artery (ICA) or the distal segment of the ICA, and a 5F Navien catheter (Medtronic Corporation, 710 Medtronic Pkwy NE, Minneapolis, MN 55432, USA) was placed at the C1 level of the ICA. Aided by a 0.36 mm (0.014 inches) microguidewire, the intracranial segment of ICA or the horizontal segment occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) was accessed with a microcatheter to visualize the distal and proximal ends of the embolus. After the stentriever was placed within the embolus, 5F Navien was delivered to the proximal end of the M1 segment of the MCA or distal ICA. After the stentriever was placed within the thrombus for approximately 5 min, the BGC was inflated to arrest blood flow. Irrigation of the guide catheter by isotonic saline was stopped. Double negative suction pressure was applied to the BGC and the Navien catheter, followed by stentrieval. Angiography was performed to assess angiographic outcomes.

2.2.2. Non-BGC Procedure

In the non-BGC group (n = 70), the 8F balloon guiding catheter was replaced by an 8F MPA1 guiding catheter (Cordis Corporation, 14201 NW 60th Ave, Hialeah, FL 33014, USA), and the remaining endovascular techniques were the same as the BGC group.

After recanalization by the above methods, balloon angioplasty and stent implantation were performed for patients with severe stenosis or occlusion of ICA or the horizontal segment of MCA [21]. Postoperative treatment included oral aspirin 100 mg daily and clopidogrel 75 mg daily at the physicians' discretion.

2.3. Evaluation Method

Modified Thrombolysis in cerebral infarction scale (mMTICI) was used to evaluate reperfusion. MTICI grade 0 to 2a indicated failed reperfusion, while MTICI grade 2b or 3 indicated successful reperfusion. NIHSS was used to evaluate neurological function, with scores ranging from 0 to 42. The modified Rankin Score (mRS) was used to evaluate postoperative 90-day clinical outcome. mRS score ≤ 2 indicated a good outcome, while mRS score ≥ 3 indicated a poor outcome [17]. Brain CT examination, 24 hours after the procedure, was used to identify postprocedure intracerebral hemorrhage. According to the European Cooperative Acute Stroke Study (ECASS) II criteria, intracerebral hemorrhage would be classified as nonsymptomatic or symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage [22].

2.4. Follow-Up Method

Outpatient follow up was conducted 90 days after EV, and patients who could not attend the clinic were followed up by telephone interviews.

2.5. Statistical Analysis

SPSS 21.0 was used for statistical processing. Measurement data were expressed as median and interquartile range (IQR), and t-test was used for comparison between groups. Classification variables were described by frequency or percentage, and nonparametric test was used. The multivariate logistic regression model was performed to investigate the association between independent variables, and outcomes. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

3. Results

3.1. Baseline Characteristics

One hundred and thirty-two patients were included in the study, 62 patients in the BGC group and 70 patients in the non-BGC group. The median age was 64 years, and 77 of the patients (58.3%) were men. The baseline characteristics for age, male gender, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, atrial fibrillation, NIHSS score, time to ED, ASPECT, intravenous rt-PA, and arterial occlusion sites in the BGC and non-BGC groups were not significantly different between the groups (Table 1, P > 0.05). Intravenous rt-PA was used in 25.8% (16 of 62) and 17.1% (12 of 70) of patients in the BGC and non-BGC groups, respectively (P = 0.287). Two examples of thrombectomies performed with BGC and non-BGC were presented in Figures 1 and 2.

Table 1

Baseline characteristics.

	Non-BGC group (n = 70)	BGC group (n = 62)	Total (n = 132)	t/F/Z	P value
Age, M(IQR), year	65 (55.6, 72.3)	64 (54.8,70.0)	64 (55.3, 70.8)	0.997	0.321
Gender/male, n (%)	39 (55.7)	38 (61.3)	77 (58.3)	0.421	0.597
Hypertension, n (%)	38 (54.3)	33 (53.2)	71 (53.8)	0.015	1.000
Diabetes, n (%)	19 (27.1)	17 (27.4)	36 (27.3)	0.001	1.000
Hyperlipidemia, n (%)	11 (15.7)	9 (14.5)	20 (15.2)	0.037	1.000
Atrial fibrillation, n (%)	9 (12.9)	9 (14.5)	18 (13.6)	0.077	0.805
NIHSS on admission, M (IQR)	16.0 (11.8, 18.0)	15.5 (11.0, 18.0)	16.0 (11.0, 18.0)	0.408	0.684
Time to ED, M (IQR), (min)	486.0 (297.0, 724.5)	480.0 (284.3, 724.5)	480.0 (288.0, 720.0)	0.176	0.861
ASPECT, n (%)
<7	9 (12.9)	12 (19.4)	21 (15.9)	1.038	0.347
≥7	61 (87.1)	50 (80.6)	111 (84.1)
Occlusion sites, n (%)
ICA + M1	42 (60.0)	36 (58.1)	78 (59.1)	0.051	0.860
M1	28 (40.0)	26 (41.9)	54 (40.9)
Intravenous tPA, n (%)	12 (17.1)	16 (25.8)	28 (21.2)	1.477	0.287

ED: emergency department; t: t test, F: fisher test; Z: ranksum test; BGC: balloon guided catheter; NIHSS: national institutes of health stroke scale; ASPECT: alberta stroke program early CT score.

Figure 1

Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) of a 67-year-old woman with middle cerebral artery M1 segment occlusion undergoing endovascular therapy using a balloon guide catheter (BGC). (a) Left middle cerebral artery occlusion on DSA. (b) BGC balloon being inflated to control the blood flow temporarily. (c) The stentriever of Trevo is released at the occluded segment, and Navien is placed at the proximal of the occluded segment. (d) Modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (mMTICI) 3 after withdrawing the stentriever.

Figure 2

Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) of a 70-year-old man with middle cerebral artery M1 segment occlusion illustrates endovascular therapy using the MPA1 Guiding Catheter. (a) Right middle cerebral artery occlusion on DSA. (b) Angiograms of the distal vessel of occlusion segment. (c) The stentriever is released at the occluded segment, and Navien is placed at the proximal of the occluded segment. (d) Modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (mMTICI) 3 after withdrawing the stentriever.

3.2. Procedural Outcomes

The median procedural time was significantly shorter in the BGC group than in the non-BGC group (83.0 minutes vs 120.0 minutes, P = 0.000). The FP rate with the BGC was significantly higher than that with non-BGC (58.1% vs 32.9%, P = 0.004). The rate of MTICI grade 3 was higher in the BGC group (66.1% vs 37.1%, P = 0.001).

The incidences of nonsymptomatic hemorrhage, symptomatic hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and embolism and cerebral hernia were not significantly different between the two groups. The proportion of 90-day mRS of score 0 to 2 was higher in the BGC group than in the non-BGC group (59.7% vs 41.4%, P = 0.036). The mortality was not significantly different between the 2 groups (Table 2).

Table 2

Procedural outcomes.

	Non-BGC group (n = 70)	BGC group (n = 62)	Total (n = 132)	t/F/Z	P value
Procedure time, M (IQR), (min)	120.0 (93.8, 165.0)	83.0 (50.8, 128.3)	113.0 (72.0, 149.5)	4.612	0.000∗∗
Stent implantation, n (%)	24 (34.3)	31 (50.0)	55 (41.7)	3.340	0.079
Using of tirofiban, n (%)	44 (62.9)	45 (72.6)	89 (67.4)	1.415	0.267
FP, n (%)	23 (32.9)	36 (58.1)	59 (44.7)	8.452	0.004∗∗
mTICI-3, n(%)	26 (37.1)	41 (66.1)	67 (50.8)	11.052	0.001∗∗
mTICI--2b-3, n (%)	64 (91.4)	57 (91.9)	121 (91.7)	0.011	1.000
Nonsymptomatic cerebral hemorrhage, n (%)	4 (5.7)	4 (6.5)	8 (6.1)	0.031	1.000
Symptomatic cerebral hemorrhage, n (%)	10 (14.3)	10 (16.1)	20 (15.2)	0.087	0.811
SAH, n (%)	1 (1.4)	3 (4.8)	4 (3.0)	1.301	0.341
Embolism, n (%)	15 (21.4)	7 (11.3)	22 (16.7)	2.433	0.161
Cerebral hernia, n (%)	2 (2.9)	4 (6.5)	6 (4.5)	0.979	0.419
Mortality, n (%)	6 (8.6)	8 (12.9)	14 (10.6)	0.651	0.573
90d-mRS (0-2), n (%)	29 (41.4)	37 (59.7)	66 (50.0)	4.380	0.036∗

∗ P < 0.05, ∗∗ <0.01, t: t test; F: fisher test; Z: ranksum test; mRS: modified rankin scale; mTICI: modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction scale; BGC: balloon guided catheter.

We performed binary logistic regression analysis which showed that BGC was associated with successful reperfusion odds ratio, 0.383; 95% confidence interval: 0.174-0.847; P = 0.018, Table 3).

Table 3

Binary logistics regression analysis of independent variables and clinical outcome (mRS ≤ 2).

	β	S.E	Wals	Sig.	OR	95% CI
Age	0.009	0.016	0.339	0.561	1.009	0.978-1.041
mTICI	0.223	0.299	0.557	0.455	1.250	0.696-2.243
NIHSS on admission	-0.311	0.313	0.991	0.319	0.733	0.397-1.352
BGC VS non-BGC	-0.959	0.404	5.620	0.018∗	0.383	0.174-0.847

mRS: modified rankin scale; mTICI: modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction scale; NIHSS: national institutes of health stroke scale.

The FP rate of BGC in the distal ICA was higher than that in the proximal ICA (87.5% vs 39.5%, P = 0.000), and the good clinical outcome rate at 90 days in the distal ICA was also higher than that in the proximal ICA (91.7% vs 39.5%, P = 0.000). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in procedural time, MTICI, stent implantation, symptomatic hemorrhage, embolization, and cerebral hernia (Table 4, P > 0.05).

Table 4

Comparison of the results between the distal and proximal BGC groups.

	Proximal ICA (n = 38)	Distal ICA (n = 24)	Total (n = 62)	P value
FP, n (%)	15 (39.5)	21 (87.5)	36 (58.1)	0.000∗∗
Procedural time(min), M (IQR)	95.0 (72.0,136.5)	78.0 (50.0,128.3)	83.0 (50.8, 128.3)	0.980
Stent implantation, n (%)	19 (50.0)	12 (50.0)	31 (50.0)	0.799
mTICI 2b-3, n (%)	34 (89.5)	23 (95.8)	57 (91.9)	0.337
Symptomatic hemorrhage, n (%)	8 (21.1)	2 (8.3)	10 (16.1)	0.291
Embolization, n (%)	6 (15.8)	1 (4.2)	7 (11.3)	0.232
Cerebral hernia, n (%)	4 (10.5)	0 (0.0)	4 (6.5)	0.151
90d-mRS (0-2), n (%)	15 (39.5)	22 (91.7)	37 (59.7)	0.000∗∗

∗∗ P < 0.005, ICA: internal carotid artery; mRS: modified rankin scale.

4. Discussion

In our retrospective study, we showed that BGC proximal blood flow control technique for thrombectomy of large vessel occlusion led to shorter procedural time and higher rates of FP recanalization.

The proximal blood flow blocking technique with balloon guided catheter was invented by Massari et al. [23], Massachusetts medical school in the United States of America. The purpose of this technique was to improve the rate of successful reperfusion, FP rate and to reduce distal nontarget embolization. Previous studies have shown that successful reperfusion can be achieved in more than half of the patients by BGC-assisted thrombectomy [24, 25]. It was shown that fusion between stentriever and thrombus was improved compared with conventional techniques. Compared with the stent thrombectomy alone, BGC-assisted thrombectomy shortened procedure time by on average 11 minutes [26, 27]. In addition, proximal blood flow blockade by BGC reduced the incidence of distal microemboli [16, 18, 28]. However, due to the lack of access to BGC, there was no published study on the safety and effectiveness of BGC in China.

Velasco et al. [18] have performed a meta-analysis on the clinical outcomes of stroke patients treated with balloon guided catheter control. The study showed that the proportion of mRS 0 to 2 was 59.7% for patients treated with BGC at 90 days, and the mortality rate was 13.7%. In our study, we found that the clinical outcome in the BGC group at 90 days was 59.7%; the mortality rate was 12.9%, and the rate of MTICI grade 3 was 66.1%. These findings were in line with the results of the meta-analysis. Our study also showed that the procedure time of BGC group was significantly shorter than that of non-BGC group. This was also consistent with the study by Nguyen et al. [17], whereby BGC median procedural time was 120 minutes. In addition, our study also showed no statistical significance in mortality, symptomatic hemorrhage, embolism, cerebral hernia, and subarachnoid hemorrhage between the two groups. This provided reassurance of the safety and effectiveness of BGC proximal blood flow control in the treatment of cerebral infarction caused by large vessel occlusion.

In this study, it was found that BGC was associated with successful reperfusion odds ratio; the 95% confidence interval was 0.174-0.847. Besides, the FP rate of BGC at the distal ICA was higher than that at the proximal ICA, and the good clinical outcome rate at 90 days was also higher than that at the proximal ICA. Velasco et al. [29] found that the FP rate of BGC located at the distal ICA was 70%, while that at the proximal ICA was only 43%, which was consistent with the results of this study. The reason may be that when BGC is placed at the distal ICA, there are no obvious collateral vessels, which can effectively control forward flow, increase the rate of the FP, and have a good clinical outcome. However, in procedural time, stent implantation, MTICI, symptomatic hemorrhage, and embolization and cerebral hernia, there was no statistical significance between the two groups, which was inconsistent with previous studies. This may be due to the bias caused by the small sample size, which needs to be confirmed by larger, prospective clinical studies.

Nonetheless, there are some limitations to this study. This was a retrospective design, and it has a small sample size. Therefore, it is not free of selection bias. In addition, prevention of embolus escape is one of the most important functions of balloon guiding catheter. But the study did not prove the difference in embolus escape between BGC group and non-BGC group.

5. Conclusions

Mechanical thrombectomy assisted by BGC blocking anterograde blood flow is an effective method for acute anterior circulation large vessel occlusive stroke. The procedure time was significantly shortened when using BCG. It can increase the FP rate and complete recanalization rates of occluded vessels without increasing the risk of hemorrhagic transformation. And it makes a better clinical outcome at 90-day.