Clot Composition Profiling in Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke Via Radiomics

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Radiology
• Neurology

Background:

• Clot composition provides insights into ischemic stroke mechanisms.
• Radiomics (RFs) is a noninvasive imaging technique for tissue characterization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate clot composition using radiomics on non-contrast computed tomography (NCCT).
• To correlate radiomic features with histopathological findings of clot components.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study correlating radiomic features (RFs) with histopathology in retrieved thrombi using micro-CT.
• Multivariate logistic regression and Spearman's correlation assessed associations between RFs and clot composition.
• Retrospective analysis of 150 NCCT scans from ischemic stroke patients.

Main Results:

• RFs like total energy and large dependence high gray level emphasis correlated with red blood cell (RBCs) rich clots (>70% RBCs).
• NCCT radiomics showed RBCs-predominant composition in 72% of cardioembolic, 30% of large artery atherosclerosis (LAA), and 50% of cryptogenic strokes.

Conclusions:

• Radiomics is a promising, noninvasive technique for characterizing ischemic stroke clot composition.
• This approach aids in understanding stroke etiology and mechanisms.