Abstract
BACKGROUND: Treatment of large vessel occlusion acute ischemic stroke with mechanical thrombectomy has become the standard of care after recent clinical trials. However, the degree of recanalization with stent retrievers remains very important in overall outcomes. We sought to review the utility of a new balloon guide catheter (BGC) in improving the degree of recanalization in conjunction with mechanical thrombectomy. METHODS: The medical records of a prospectively collected endovascular ischemic stroke database were reviewed. All consecutive strokes when a FlowGate BGC was used with a thrombectomy stent retriever were identified. Use of a FlowGate BGC, number of passes, final Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (TICI) score, trackability, and use of adjunct devices were all collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Use of a FlowGate BGC resulted in 64% (33/52) first-pass effect (FPE) of TICI 2b/3, and specifically 46% (24/52) TICI 3 FPE (true FPE). A total of 52/62 (84%) of thrombectomy cases were treated with BGCs. In the remaining 10, the BGC was not inflated or used due to the clot not being visualized or the lesions being distal and BGC use thus not deemed appropriate. Adjunct use of an aspiration catheter was seen in 12% (6/52) of cases. The overall success with FlowGate BGCs with one or more passes of TICI 2b/3 was 94% (49/52). Trackability was achieved in 92% (57/62) of cases. CONCLUSIONS: Use of the FlowGate BGC as an adjunct to mechanical thrombectomy was associated with good FPE and an overall recanalization of TICI 2b/3 of 94%.