Comparison Between Three Commonly Used Large-Bore Aspiration Catheters in Terms of Successful Recanalization and

Vittorio Semeraro1, Iacopo Valente2, Pietro Trombatore3

  • 1Ospedale Santissima Annunziata, Dipartimento di Diagnostica per Immagini e Radioterapia, Taranto, Italy.

Insights

The Sofia 6 Plus catheter demonstrated superior first-passage recanalization in stroke thrombectomy. No significant differences were found in overall successful recanalization rates among the tested aspiration catheters.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Interventional Neuroradiology
  • Vascular Surgery

Background:

  • Mechanical thrombectomy is a key treatment for acute ischemic stroke.
  • Large-bore aspiration catheters are crucial for effective clot retrieval.
  • Optimizing first-pass recanalization is essential to improve patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the efficacy of three large-bore aspiration catheters in mechanical thrombectomy.
  • To evaluate final successful recanalization rates.
  • To assess first-passage successful and complete recanalization rates, termed the 'first-passage effect'.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective, multicenter observational study (January 2017 - May 2019).
  • Inclusion of consecutive patients with middle cerebral artery (M1 segment) ischemic stroke undergoing mechanical thrombectomy.
  • Contact aspiration as the first-line strategy within 24 hours of symptom onset.

Main Results:

  • 321 patients were analyzed.
  • No significant differences in overall successful recanalization rates among the three catheters.
  • Sofia 6 Plus catheter showed significantly better first-passage successful recanalization (OR, 9.09) and first-passage complete recanalization (OR: 3.73).
  • rt-PA administration was associated with worse first-passage recanalization (OR: 0.52).

Conclusions:

  • No significant differences exist between the three aspiration catheters for overall successful recanalization.
  • The Sofia 6 Plus catheter is superior for achieving both successful and complete first-passage recanalization.
  • rt-PA is a negative predictor for the first-passage effect in this cohort.
Abstract