No-reflow phenomenon following stroke recanalization therapy: Clinical assessment advances: A narrative review

Yuan Kan; Sijie Li; Bowei Zhang; Yuchuan Ding; Wenbo Zhao; Xunming Ji

doi:10.4103/bc.bc_37_23

No-reflow phenomenon following stroke recanalization therapy: Clinical assessment advances: A narrative review

Brain Circ. 2023 Nov 30;9(4):214-221. doi: 10.4103/bc.bc_37_23. eCollection 2023 Oct-Dec.

Authors

Yuan Kan¹, Sijie Li^{2

3}, Bowei Zhang^{1

4}, Yuchuan Ding⁵, Wenbo Zhao^{1

3}, Xunming Ji⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
² Department of Emergency, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
³ Beijing Key Laboratory of Hypoxia Conditioning Translational Medicine, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
⁴ Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
⁵ Department of Neurosurgery, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
⁶ Department of Neurosurgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.

Abstract

The no-reflow phenomenon (NRP) after successful vascular recanalization in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) has become a major cause of poor clinical prognosis and ineffective recanalization. However, there is currently no clear definition or unified clinical assessment method for the NRP. Therefore, it is urgent to clarify the clinical evaluation criteria for the NRP and develop new no-reflow evaluation techniques so that remedial treatment can be applied to AIS patients suffering from the NRP. In this brief review, a variety of NRP assessment methods and defining criteria for clinical practice are presented.

Keywords: Angiography; arterial spin labelling; no-reflow phenomenon; perfusion imaging; transcranial Doppler.

Publication types

Review