SUMMARY:Intracranial vessel wall MR imaging is an adjunct to conventional angiographic imaging with CTA, MRA, or DSA. The technique has multiple potential uses in the context of ischemic stroke and intracranial hemorrhage. There remain gaps in our understanding of intracranial vessel wall MR imaging findings and research is ongoing, but the technique is already used on a clinical basis at many centers. This article, on behalf of the Vessel Wall Imaging Study Group of the American Society of Neuroradiology, provides expert consensus recommendations for current clinical practice. ABBREVIATIONS: RCVS ϭ reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome; VW-MR imaging ϭ vessel wall MR imaging

Campbell, B. C.V. et al. (2019) Penumbral imaging and functional outcome in patients with anterior circulation ischaemic stroke treated with endovascular thrombectomy versus medical therapy: a meta-analysis of individual patient-level data.ABSTRACT Background: CT-perfusion (CTP) and MRI may assist patient selection for endovascular thrombectomy. We aimed to establish whether imaging assessments of ischaemic core and penumbra volumes were associated with functional outcomes and treatment effect.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: High-resolution MR imaging is an emerging tool for evaluating intracranial artery disease. It has an advantage of defining vessel wall characteristics of intracranial vascular diseases. We investigated high-resolution MR imaging arterial wall characteristics of CNS vasculitis and reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome to determine wall pattern changes during a follow-up period.

Background and purposeAcute stroke caused by large vessel occlusions (LVOs) requires emergent detection and treatment by endovascular thrombectomy. However, radiologic LVO detection and treatment is subject to variable delays and human expertise, resulting in morbidity. Imaging software using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), a branch of AI, may improve rapid frontline detection of LVO strokes. This report is a systematic review of AI in acute LVO stroke identification and triage, and characterizes LVO detection software.MethodsA systematic review of acute stroke diagnostic-focused AI studies from January 2014 to February 2019 in PubMed, Medline, and Embase using terms: ‘artificial intelligence’ or ‘machine learning or deep learning’ and ‘ischemic stroke’ or ‘large vessel occlusion’ was performed.ResultsVariations of AI, including ML methods of random forest learning (RFL) and convolutional neural networks (CNNs), are used to detect LVO strokes. Twenty studies were identified that use ML. Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS) commonly used RFL, while LVO detection typically used CNNs. Image feature detection had greater sensitivity with CNN than with RFL, 85% versus 68%. However, AI algorithm performance metrics use different standards, precluding ideal objective comparison. Four current software platforms incorporate ML: Brainomix (greatest validation of AI for ASPECTS, uses CNNs to automatically detect LVOs), General Electric, iSchemaView (largest number of perfusion study validations for thrombectomy), and Viz.ai (uses CNNs to automatically detect LVOs, then automatically activates emergency stroke treatment systems).ConclusionsAI may improve LVO stroke detection and rapid triage necessary for expedited treatment. Standardization of performance assessment is needed in future studies.

Campbell, B. C. V. et al. (2018) Effect of general anaesthesia on functional outcome in patients with anterior circulation ischaemic stroke having endovascular thrombectomy versus standard care: a meta-analysis of individual patient data. Lancet Neurology, 17(1), pp. 47-53. (doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(17)30407-6) This is the author's final accepted version.There may be differences between this version and the published version. You are advised to consult the publisher's version if you wish to cite from it.http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/149670/ variables. An alternative approach using propensity-score stratification was also used. To account for between-trial variance we used mixed-effects modeling with a random effect for trial incorporated in all models. Bias was assessed using the Cochrane tool.Findings: Of 1764 patients in 7 trials, 871 were allocated to endovascular thrombectomy. After exclusion of 74 patients (72 who did not undergo the procedure and 2 with missing data on anaesthetic strategy), 236/797 (30%) of endovascular patients were treated under GA. At baseline, GA patients were younger and had shorter time to randomisation but similar pre-treatment clinical severity compared to non-GA. Endovascular thrombectomy improved functional outcome at 3 months versus standard care in both GA (adjusted common odds ratio (cOR) 1·52, 95%CI 1·09-2·11, p=0·014) and non-GA (adjusted cOR 2·33, 95%CI 1·75-3·10, p<0·001) patients. However, outcomes were significantly better for those treated under non-GA versus GA (covariate-adjusted cOR 1·53, 95%CI 1·14-2·04, p=0·004; propensitystratified cOR 1·44 95%CI 1·08-1·92, p=0·012). The risk of bias and variability among studies was assessed to be low.Interpretation: Worse outcomes after endovascular thrombectomy were associated with GA, after adjustment for baseline prognostic variables. These data support avoidance of GA whenever possible. The procedure did, however, remain effective versus standard care in patients treated under GA, indicating that treatment should not be withheld in those who require anaesthesia for medical reasons. Funding:The HERMES collaboration was funded by an unrestricted grant from Medtronic to the University of Calgary. Research in contextEvidence before this study between abolition of the thrombectomy treatment effect in MR CLEAN and no effect in THRACE. Three single-centre randomised trials of general anaesthesia versus conscious sedation found either no difference in functional outcome between groups or a slight benefit of general anaesthesia. Added value of this studyThese data from contemporary, high quality randomised trials form the largest study to date of the association between general anesthesia and the benefit of endovascular thrombectomy versus standard care. We used two different approaches to adjust for baseline imbalances (multivariable logistic regression and propensity-score stratification). We found that GA for endovascular thrombectomy, as practiced in contemporary clinical care across a wide range of expert centres during the rand...