Effect of Perfusion CT on Time Required to Evaluate Indications for Thrombectomy for Acute Cerebral Infarction

Rapid treatment of patients with emergency large vessel occlusion (ELVO) improves outcomes. With Vitrea software, the cerebral infarct size and penumbra can be quantified, and 4D images can be constructed quickly. We investigated the performance of Vitrea in ELVO patients.

To evaluate indications for mechanical thrombectomy, we performed plain brain CT, then MRI (group 1, n=30). In May 2022 we acquired perfusion CT scans with Vitrea after plain CT on the same equipment (group 2, n=27) and then compared time from onset to the end of mechanical thrombectomy. At 1 month post-treatment we recorded the neurological outcome by using the modified Rankin scale (mRS). We also compared the infarction areas identified with Vitrea and MRI the day after treatment using DWI-ASPECTS in 25 of 27 patients in group 2. We excluded 2 patients with basilar artery occlusion because this type of occlusion is not included in DWI-ASPECTS.

There were no significant intergroup differences in patient characteristics, time from admission or puncture to re-canalization, and outcome 1 month after treatment. Vitrea overestimated the infarct area in 1 of 25 patients (4.0%). Times from admission to transit for examination, to the examination end, and time from admission to puncture, were significantly shorter in group 2.

In ascertaining indications for thrombectomy in patients with acute cerebral stroke, perfusion CT with Vitrea shortened time to treatment. However, further investigation is needed to confirm the accuracy of Vitrea in determining the infarct area.