Utility of Hounsfield unit in the diagnosis of tandem occlusion in acute ischemic stroke

BACKGROUND: Tandem occlusions can complicate medical and endovascular stroke treatment. To identify these occlusions, computed tomography angiography (CTA) represents the best imaging modality. However, CTA is still not initially performed in some patients not admitted directly to stroke centers. Early identification of an additional occlusion of the proximal extracranial internal carotid artery may improve the best suitable treatment strategy. The purpose of this study was to find a valuable threshold of thrombus attenuation in a non-contrast head CT (NCCT) scan to facilitate a safe diagnosis of tandem occlusions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consecutive patients with acute middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusions who underwent endovascular treatment were identified from our registry of neuroendovascular interventions. Thrombus attenuations of the affected MCA and contralateral vessel were measured by NCCT. To compare individual baseline blood attenuations, the difference between the thrombus attenuation and the contralateral MCA attenuation (referred to as ΔTM) was calculated. RESULTS: Three hundred and twenty-five patients were included. There was a highly significant difference between mean thrombus attenuation with isolated MCA occlusion and additional extracranial internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion (49.9 ± 8 vs. 56.2 ± 10 Hounsfield units (HU); P < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of ΔTM was 0.72. The optimal threshold value was 13.5 HU, with a sensitivity of 67.5% and a specificity of 68.6%. CONCLUSION: Despite a significant difference in thrombus attenuation in MCA occlusions with an additional extracranial ICA occlusion compared with isolated MCA occlusions, a relevant threshold of thrombus attenuation was not found.