Endovascular treatment for anterior cerebral artery occlusions

We sought to examine the feasibility, safety and preliminary efficacy of anterior cerebral artery (ACA) occlusions in patients undergoing endovascular treatment.

Four hundred five consecutive patients with large-vessel occlusion treated with endovascular treatment were analysed to identify all patients with acute ACA occlusion who underwent endovascular treatment.

Twenty had ACA occlusion (primary ACA occlusion: 9, rescue ACA occlusion: 11), 395 patients had other occlusions (internal carotid artery and MCA). The median [IQR] mRS score in the third month was significantly higher in the ACA-rescue occlusion group versus the ACA-primary occlusion group. The rate of haematoma in patients with ACA-occlusions was significantly higher compared with the ACA-primary occlusion group. Moreover, the three-month mortality rate was higher in patients with ACA-rescue than the patients with ACA-primary.

Although endovascular treatment can be considered in patients with primary ACA occlusions, our data suggest that future clinical trials are needed to determine the efficacy of endovascular treatment for ACA occlusions. Unfavourable outcomes in our study were considered to occur in the rescue ACA occlusions.