Mechanical thrombectomy combined with stenting for radiation-induced carotid stenosis-related stroke with high-load...

Radiation therapy in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma can cause chronic progressive carotid artery injury, but acute ischemic stroke caused by carotid artery high-load thrombosis rarely occurs in patients with tandem lesions. We performed carotid mechanical thrombectomy combined with angioplasty in a 57-year-old man who received radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma more than 10 years before presentation. He presented with acute-onset left hemiplegia, confusion, and mixed aphasia. Head CT revealed a hyper-dense sign in the right middle cerebral artery M1 region, and angiography disclosed occlusion in the right internal carotid artery C5 region with extremely severe stenosis in the middle C1 region. Intra-arterial mechanical thrombectomy with carotid stenting was performed, and re-canalization was achieved. Re-examination angiography after 3 months revealed worsening of ulcerative plaques and pseudoaneurysms in the left common carotid artery. Consequently, we performed carotid stenting over the left common carotid artery, and the patient recovered well postoperatively. Our experience suggests that early detection of large blood vessel damage and intervention are necessary to prevent large-vessel ischemic stroke in patients who received radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.