Model Combines Carotid Plaque Scans and Inflammation Trajectories to

Researchers in China report a machine-learning approach aimed at “futile recanalization”—when an artery reopens after thrombectomy but patients still deteriorate. The study, published in Frontiers in Neurology, followed 316 acute ischemic stroke patients treated at a single center between 2020 and 2023. All underwent successful endovascular thrombectomy within 24 hours of symptom onset. At 90 days, 166 patients (52.5%) had an unfavorable outcome on the modified Rankin Scale (3–6). The model combines two signals: radiomics features from 2D B-mode carotid ultrasound and the Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index tracked at admission, day 1, day 3, and day 7, clustered via latent class mixed models into three inflammatory phenotypes.