Fibrin-Platelet Clots in Acute Ischemic Stroke. Predictors and Clinical Significance in a Mechanical Thrombectomy Series

Francisco Hernández-Fernández; María E Ramos-Araque; Rosa Barbella-Aponte; Juan David Molina-Nuevo; Jorge García-García; Oscar Ayo-Martin; María José Pedrosa-Jiménez; Lorena López-Martinez; Gemma Serrano-Heras; Enrique Julia-Molla; Tomás Segura

doi:10.3389/fneur.2021.631343

Fibrin-Platelet Clots in Acute Ischemic Stroke. Predictors and Clinical Significance in a Mechanical Thrombectomy Series

Front Neurol. 2021 Apr 20:12:631343. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2021.631343. eCollection 2021.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, Hospital General Universitario de Albacete, Albacete, Spain.
² Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Salamanca, Biomedical Research Institute of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain.
³ Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain.
⁴ Department of Surgical Pathology, Hospital General Universitario de Albacete, Albacete, Spain.
⁵ Department of Radiology, Hospital General Universitario de Albacete, Albacete, Spain.
⁶ Research Unit, Hospital General Universitario de Albacete, Albacete, Spain.
⁷ Instituto de Investigación en Discapacidades Neurológicas (IDINE), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain.

Abstract

Introduction: The histological composition of the clot influences its mechanical properties, affects the efficacy of endovascular treatment (EVT), and could determine the clinical outcome of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Insights into clot composition may guide therapeutic decision-making prior to EVT and facilitate revascularization therapies. Material and Methods: Consecutive patients with AIS recorded in a prospective single-center reperfusion registry from December 2015 to December 2019 and treated with EVT were included. Baseline, laboratory [including post-procedural C-reactive protein (CRP)], radiological, and angiographic variables were analyzed. We aimed to study the relationship between histological composition of the clot with basal neuroimaging, laboratory markers, and recanalization technique. The secondary outcome was to analyze the correlation between clot composition and functional outcome at 3 months assessed by the modified Rankin scale (mRS). Results: From the study period, 360 AIS patients treated with EVT were included, of whom 189 (53%) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. One hundred (53%) cases of fibrin-predominant clot (FPC) were recorded. Full recanalization in FPC cases was achieved with higher probability when stent retrievers (SR) were selected as the first-line device (68.2%, p = 0.039). Patients with FPC had higher levels of CRP (p = 0.02), lower frequency of the hyperdense middle cerebral artery (HMCA) in baseline imaging (p = 0.039), and higher rates of mortality (p = 0.012). The multivariate analysis showed that the absence of HMCA (OR = 0.420; 95% CI 0.197-0.898; p = 0.025) and higher levels of CRP (OR = 1.01; 95% CI 1.003-1.019; p = 0.008) were predictors of FPC. Leukocytes and platelet counts were not associated with clot histology. Conclusions: The absence of HMCA and higher levels of CRP were markers of FPC. In patients with FPC, complete recanalization was most likely to be achieved when a SR was selected as first line of treatment. Mortality was higher in patients within this histologic group.

Keywords: fibrin; mortality; stroke; thrombectomy; thrombolysis (tPA).