A tribute to the late Conrad Yiu was NeuroNews’ most read story in January, indicating the impact he has had and will likely continue to have on the stroke care community. The long-awaited publication of final results from the PROST trial also features, as do updates on multiple novel technologies—including the “world’s smallest camera”, and two relatively new players in the field of intrasaccular aneurysm treatment.
1. Ischaemic stroke—we are all vulnerable
Conrad Yiu, a pioneer and visionary in interventional ischaemic stroke therapy, passed away in the final weeks of 2023, succumbing to the very disease for which he so fervently sought to enable and advance treatment. In a guest piece for NeuroNews, Chloe Brown pays tribute to her long-time colleague and friend, and highlights the fact that Yiu’s death is a saddening yet poignant reminder that “we are all vulnerable” to ischaemic stroke.
2. Is it time to consider a paradigm shift from mechanical thrombectomy to full reperfusion?
In light of recent evidence indicating that thrombectomies with poor reperfusion may lead to inferior clinical outcomes versus medical management in ischaemic stroke, Adrien Guenego (Brussels, Belgium) assesses the need for a “fundamental change” over decision-making and how success is measured.
3. Canadian hospital uses “world’s smallest camera” to see inside stroke patient’s blood vessels
Physicians at The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) in Ottawa, Canada recently became the first in the world to use a new stroke technology, the MicroAngioscope (Vena Medical), in a patient procedure. Equipped with “the world’s smallest camera”, the device goes inside veins and arteries, allowing physicians to see inside the blood vessels of the patient’s brain.
4. Newly published PROST trial results find Preset non-inferior to Solitaire in stroke thrombectomy
Final results from the PROST randomised controlled trial (RCT) have been published in JAMA Neurology and—according to the study’s leading investigators—provide evidence that thrombectomy with the Preset stent retriever (Wallaby/Phenox) is a safe and effective option in large vessel occlusion (LVO) stroke patients, having demonstrated non-inferiority to the Solitaire revascularisation device (Medtronic).
5. “The third way” in intrasaccular aneurysm treatment demonstrates positive one-year outcomes
A device labelled “the third way” to potentially treat intracranial aneurysms via an intrasaccular approach has demonstrated positive effectiveness and safety results at one year in a first-in-human (FIH) study, as per a presentation at the Barts Research and Advanced Interventional Neuroradiology (BRAIN) conference (4–6 December 2023, London, UK).
6. Arissa Medical announces positive feasibility study results with Syntra intrasaccular scaffold
Arissa Medical has announced the successful evaluation of the Syntra intrasaccular scaffold system within simulated use conditions under fluoroscopy using clinically relevant, in-vitro intracranial aneurysm models provided by the Jacobs Institute in Buffalo, USA.
7. Thanh N Nguyen becomes first woman to serve as SVIN president
Thanh N Nguyen, professor of neurology, radiology and neurosurgery at the Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine in Boston, USA, has been elected president of the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology (SVIN). Nguyen is the first woman to serve in this role during the society’s 17-year history.
8. Global experts call for tighter standards to speed up emergency haemorrhagic stroke treatment
An international panel of clinical researchers has published a report in the journal Stroke in which they advocate “immediate change” regarding treatment protocols for intracranial haemorrhage (ICH), citing the fact that haemorrhagic stroke management “lags far behind” that seen in more common ischaemic strokes.
9. Arissa Medical enrols first patients in first-in-human Syntra study
Arissa Medical has announced the enrolment of the first patients in its Syntra study—an FIH, early feasibility study evaluating the safety and efficacy of the company’s Syntra device for the treatment of wide-necked sidewall and wide-necked bifurcation cerebral aneurysms.
10. Perfuze announces US FDA 510(k) clearances for novel aspiration and access catheters
Perfuze has announced US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearances for the Millipede 070 aspiration catheter and the second-generation of its Millipede 088 access catheter.
