Article ID: oa.2021-0012
Objective: Endovascular thrombectomy has become a standard treatment for acute ischemic stroke (AIS). TheSofia Plus catheter is a soft aspiration catheter designed for vessel recanalization. We report the outcomes of AIS treatment using a Sofia Plus reperfusion catheter.
Methods: The catheter was used in endovascular thrombectomy of 52 stroke cases. The mean age of patients was 75 ± 9.0 years. The mean preoperative National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was 16 ± 8.6. Occluded vessels included internal carotid artery, horizontal segment of middle cerebral artery (M1), insular segment of middle cerebral artery (M2), and basilar artery in 47%, 21%, 15%, and 17% of cases, respectively. Recanalization rate, complications, and damage of the Sofia Plus catheter were retrospectively investigated.
Results: We used direct aspiration first-pass technique (ADAPT) and stent-retriever (SR) combined with SofiaPlus catheter in 36 and 16 cases, respectively. In cases where the ADAPT was first attempted, SR was used when sufficient recanalization was not achieved. Good recanalization was achieved in 58% of patients using the ADAPT and in 87% of patients using the SR combined with Sofia Plus catheter. Successful positioning of the Sofia Plus catheter near the occlusion was achieved in 94% of patients. There were no arterial dissections. Damage of Sofia Plus catheter was seen in 5.8% of patients. Postoperative symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage occurred in 5.8% of patients. A modified Rankin Scale of 0-2 at 3 months was achieved in 37% of patients.
Conclusions: The Sofia Plus catheter has high reachability to the occluded site and allows recanalization with a low complication rate. The Sofia Plus catheter can be damaged owning to the intense push and withdrawal of the SR.
