Safety and clinical outcomes of urgent superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery bypass-a single-institution retrospective analysis.

Abstract

Intravenous recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) with/without endovascular treatment is sometimes not ideally effective for the treatment of acute hemodynamic stroke due to atherosclerotic major artery steno-occlusive disease, and some patients show fluctuation in or progression of symptoms despite intensive medical therapy. Urgent superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) bypass has been reported to be effective in patients with progressing stroke. To investigate the efficacy of urgent STA-MCA bypass performed at a single institution for progressing stroke due to hemodynamic compromise caused by atherosclerosis. We retrospectively reviewed clinical and operative records. Neurological outcomes were assessed with the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) with consideration of patient age: more than 2 points on the mRS was regarded as a poor outcome in patients under 80 years old, and more than 3 points was considered a poor outcome in those over 80 years old. The risk factors contributing to poor outcomes were evaluated. From 2008 to 2017, 35 patients underwent urgent STA-MCA bypass for progressing stroke. The average patient age was 70.4 years (range 49-96 years). The mean National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was 5.1 (range 0-24 points) on admission and 7.8 before surgery. After 3 months, 25 patients showed good outcomes. The preoperative NIHSS score contributed to a poor outcome (odds ratio 1.65 (95% confidence interval 1.12-2.90)). Urgent STA-MCA bypass is a treatment option for patients with progressing stroke. The operation should be performed while the NIHSS score is low.