Ischemic Post-conditioning in Acute Ischemic Stroke Thrombectomy

Safety and Tolerability of Local Ischemic Post-conditioning in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke After Mechanical Thrombectomy

Ischemic post-conditioning is a neuroprotective strategy that has been proven to attenuate reperfusion injury in animal models of stroke. The purpose of this proof-of-concept study is to determine the safety and tolerability of ischemic post-conditioning in patients with acute ischemic stroke who are treated with mechanical thrombectomy.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18-80 years;
• Acute ischemic stroke caused by middle cerebral artery M1 segment occlusion;
• Successful recanalization (mTICI 2b/3) after endovascular thrombectomy that confirmed by digital subtraction angiography;
• Written informed consent provided by the patients or their legal relatives.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Known diagnosis or clinical suspicion of cerebral vasculitis or fibromuscular dysplasia;
• Difficulty in reaching the designated position of the balloon used for ischemic post-conditioning;
• Stenting in the middle cerebral artery as rescue therapy during the thrombectomy procedures;
• > 2 times of balloon dilations as rescue therapy due to angioplasty during the thrombectomy procedures;
• Moderate or severe residual stenosis (≥ 50%) of the culprit artery after recanalization;
• Difficulty in complying with ischemic post-conditioning or other conditions that the investigator considered inappropriate for inclusion.