Objectives: This report documents initial experiences with balloon catheter disruption (BCD) of a thrombus for an unrecanalized intracranial artery, even after intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (IV-rtPA).
Methods: From August 2006 to February 2008, 12 patients with acute major vessel occlusion underwent IV-rtPA, and recanalization of the affected artery was not obtained in 8 patients. Seven of these 8 patients underwent BCD immediately after the completion of continuous rtPA infusion without the addition of thrombolytic agents.
Results: Of the 7 patients that underwent BCD, 4 patients (57%) showed complete or partial recanalization and relatively favorable clinical outcomes were obtained compared to patients without recanalization. No technical complications were observed in these patients.
Conclusions: Although the number of patients was limited, intra-arterial rescue therapy, BCD, may be effective for patients with an unrecanalized intracranial artery after IV-rtPA therapy.