Safety and efficacy of cangrelor in acute stenting for the treatment of cerebrovascular pathology: preliminary experience in a single-center pilot study

Background Treatment of acute cerebrovascular pathology, such as acute ischemic stroke or intracranial aneurysms, presents a challenge if an extracranial or intracranial stent is required; immediate platelet inhibition is vital. To date, there is no standardized approach for antiplatelet inhibition in an acute setting. Objective To report our preliminary experience and lessons learnt using cangrelor in acute neurointervention. Methods A single-arm pilot study was performed to assess the safety and efficacy of cangrelor plus aspirin for platelet inhibition in patients who require acute stenting in the setting of neuroendovascular treatment. Results Eight patients were enrolled between October 2017 and August 2018. Median age was 71 years (53–86). Seven patients were treated in an acute setting according to the stroke protocol at our institution, while one patient was treated for a symptomatic, unruptured aneurysm with flow diversion and coiling. At admission, the median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score for the patients with stroke was 12.5 (range 2–22.3). Cangrelor was infused and all patients achieved adequate platelet inhibition ( Conclusions Our findings suggest that cangrelor is a promising alternative in acute stenting for the treatment of cerebrovascular pathology. However, further studies with larger samples are required to accurately elucidate its safety and effectiveness in neuroendovascular procedures.