Initial Report of the Perioperative Platelet Aggregation Test Using Hematracer ZEN in Neuroendovascular Therapy

We report the characteristics of the platelet aggregation test using Hematracer ZEN (HTZ; DS medical, Tokyo, Japan) during the perioperative period.

Among patients undergoing neuroendovascular treatment (EVT) at our hospital between June 2019 and June 2020, 42 consecutive patients with preoperative dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) were included. Oral administration of aspirin (ASA) at 81 mg and clopidogrel (CLP) at 75 mg was started 7 days before treatment (Flow Diverter [FD]: 14 days before). We evaluated platelet aggregation activity the day before treatment (FD: 2 days before) using HTZ. We adjusted the CLP dose according to the platelet aggregation test in each patient. We evaluated the platelet aggregating activity after EVT in patients requiring an intracranial stent or in which CLP was adjusted before EVT.

Platelet aggregating activity was able to be evaluated in all patients. In the preoperative examination, the efficacy of CLP was insufficient in one patient (2.4%), optimal medical effects were confirmed in 16 (38.1%), mildly excessive effects were noted in 10 (23.8%), and highly excessive effects were noted in 15 (35.7%). Reassessment was performed postoperatively in 20 patients. We switched CLP to prasugrel in one patient in which the CLP efficacy was considered insufficient in the preoperative evaluation. We reduced the CLP dose in seven patients with marked overdose, and the optimum range was reached in all. We did not adjust the CLP dose in 12 patients judged to have optimal or mildly excessive effects preoperatively, but 4 exhibited highly excessive drug efficacy and required CLP reduction. No postoperative symptomatic cerebral infarction or intracranial hemorrhage was observed (mean observation period: 11 months, range: 4-16 months).

The platelet aggregation test using HTZ was simple and inexpensive, and was useful for adjusting the dose of antiplatelet drugs, but its utility should be evaluated in more patients.