Background and Purpose: Prediction models for outcome of patients with acute ischemic stroke who will undergo endovascular treatment have been developed to improve patient management. The aim of the current study is to provide an overview of preintervention models for functional outcome after endovascular treatment and to validate these models with data from daily clinical practice. Methods: We systematically searched within Medline, Embase, Cochrane, Web of Science, to include prediction models. Models identified from the search were validated in the MR CLEAN (Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke in the Netherlands) registry, which includes all patients treated with endovascular treatment within 6.5 hours after stroke onset in the Netherlands between March 2014 and November 2017. Predictive performance was evaluated according to discrimination (area under the curve) and calibration (slope and intercept of the calibration curve). Good functional outcome was defined as a score of 0–2 or 0–3 on the modified Rankin Scale depending on the model. Results: After screening 3468 publications, 19 models were included in this validation. Variables included in the models mainly addressed clinical and imaging characteristics at baseline. In the validation cohort of 3156 patients, discriminative performance ranged from 0.61 (SPAN-100 [Stroke Prognostication Using Age and NIH Stroke Scale]) to 0.80 (MR PREDICTS). Best-calibrated models were THRIVE (The Totaled Health Risks in Vascular Events; intercept −0.06 [95% CI, −0.14 to 0.02]; slope 0.84 [95% CI, 0.75–0.95]), THRIVE-c (intercept 0.08 [95% CI, −0.02 to 0.17]; slope 0.71 [95% CI, 0.65–0.77]), Stroke Checkerboard score (intercept −0.05 [95% CI, −0.13 to 0.03]; slope 0.97 [95% CI, 0.88–1.08]), and MR PREDICTS (intercept 0.43 [95% CI, 0.33–0.52]; slope 0.93 [95% CI, 0.85–1.01]). Conclusions: The THRIVE-c score and MR PREDICTS both showed a good combination of discrimination and calibration and were, therefore, superior in predicting functional outcome for patients with ischemic stroke after endovascular treatment within 6.5 hours. Since models used different predictors and several models had relatively good predictive performance, the decision on which model to use in practice may also depend on simplicity of the model, data availability, and the comparability of the population and setting.

Collateral blood flow plays a pivotal role in steno-occlusive internal carotid artery (ICA) disease to prevent irreversible ischaemic damage. Our aim was to investigate the effect of carotid artery disease upon cerebral perfusion and cerebrovascular reactivity and whether haemodynamic impairment is influenced at brain tissue level by the existence of primary and/or secondary collateral. Eighty-eight patients with steno-occlusive ICA disease and 29 healthy controls underwent MR examination. The presence of collaterals was determined with time-of-flight, two-dimensional phase contrast MRA and territorial arterial spin labeling (ASL) imaging. Cerebral blood flow and cerebrovascular reactivity were assessed with ASL before and after acetazolamide. Cerebral haemodynamics were normal in asymptomatic ICA stenosis patients, as opposed to patients with ICA occlusion, in whom the haemodynamics in both hemispheres were compromised. Haemodynamic impairment in the affected brain region was always present in symptomatic patients. The degree of collateral blood flow was inversely correlated with haemodynamic impairment. Recruitment of secondary collaterals only occurred in symptomatic ICA occlusion patients. In conclusion, both CBF and cerebrovascular reactivity were found to be reduced in symptomatic patients with steno-occlusive ICA disease. The presence of collateral flow is associated with further haemodynamic impairment. Recruitment of secondary collaterals is associated with severe haemodynamic impairment.

Background: We evaluated data from all patients in the Netherlands who underwent endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke in the past 3.5 years, to identify nationwide trends in time to treatment and procedural success, and assess their effect on clinical outcomes. Methods: We included patients with proximal occlusions of the anterior circulation from the second and first cohorts of the MR CLEAN (Multicenter Randomized Clinical trial of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke in the Netherlands) Registry (March 2014 to June 2016; June 2016 to November 2017, respectively). We compared workflow times and rates of successful reperfusion (defined as an extended Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction score of 2B-3) between cohorts and chronological quartiles (all included patients stratified in chronological quartiles of intervention dates to create equally sized groups over the study period). Multivariable ordinal logistic regression was used to assess differences in the primary outcome (ordinal modified Rankin Scale at 90 days). Results: Baseline characteristics were similar between cohorts (second cohort n=1692, first cohort n=1488) except for higher age, poorer collaterals, and less signs of early ischemia on computed tomography in the second cohort. Time from stroke onset to groin puncture and reperfusion were shorter in the second cohort (median 185 versus 210 minutes; P <0.001 and 236 versus 270 minutes; P <0.001, respectively). Successful reperfusion was achieved more often in the second than in the first cohort (72% versus 66%; P <0.001). Functional outcome significantly improved (adjusted common odds ratio 1.23 [95% CI, 1.07–1.40]). This effect was attenuated by adjustment for time from onset to reperfusion (adjusted common odds ratio, 1.12 [95% CI, 0.98–1.28]) and successful reperfusion (adjusted common odds ratio, 1.13 [95% CI, 0.99–1.30]). Outcomes were consistent in the analysis per chronological quartile. Conclusions: Clinical outcomes after endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke in routine clinical practice have improved over the past years, likely resulting from improved workflow times and higher successful reperfusion rates.

Background: Cerebral white matter lesions (WMLs) have been associated with a greater risk of poor functional outcome after ischemic stroke. We assessed the relations between WML burden and radiological and clinical outcomes in patients treated with endovascular treatment in routine practice. Methods: We analyzed data from the MR CLEAN Registry (Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischaemic Stroke in the Netherlands)—a prospective, multicenter, observational cohort study of patients treated with endovascular treatment in the Netherlands. WMLs were graded on baseline noncontrast computed tomography using a visual grading scale. The primary outcome was the score on the modified Rankin Scale at 90 days. Secondary outcomes included early neurological recovery, successful reperfusion (extended Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction ≥2b), futile recanalization (modified Rankin Scale score ≥3 despite successful reperfusion), and occurrence of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. We used multivariable logistic regression models to assess associations between WML severity and outcomes, taking the absence of WML on noncontrast computed tomography as the reference category. Results: Of 3180 patients included in the MR CLEAN Registry between March 2014 and November 2017, WMLs were graded for 3046 patients and categorized as none (n=1855; 61%), mild (n=608; 20%), or moderate to severe (n=588; 19%). Favorable outcome (modified Rankin Scale score, 0–2) was achieved in 838 patients (49%) without WML, 192 patients (34%) with mild WML, and 130 patients (24%) with moderate-to-severe WML. Increasing WML grades were associated with a shift toward poorer functional outcome in a dose-dependent manner (adjusted common odds ratio, 1.34 [95% CI, 1.13–1.60] for mild WML and 1.67 [95% CI, 1.39–2.01] for moderate-to-severe WML; P _trend , <0.001). Increasing WML grades were associated with futile recanalization ( P _trend , <0.001) and were inversely associated with early neurological recovery ( P _trend , 0.041) but not with the probability of successful reperfusion or symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. Conclusions: An increasing burden of WML at baseline is associated with poorer clinical outcomes after endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke but not with the probability of successful reperfusion or symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage.