Early minimally invasive intracerebral hemorrhage evacuation: a phase 2a feasibility, safety, and promise of surgical efficacy study

Background Surgical treatment of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is unproven, although meta-analyses suggest that both early conventional surgery with craniotomy and minimally invasive surgery (MIS) may be beneficial. We aimed to demonstrate the safety, feasibility, and promise of efficacy of early MIS for ICH using the Aurora Surgiscope and Evacuator. Methods We performed a prospective, single arm, phase IIa Simon’s two stage design study at two stroke centers (10 patients with supratentorial ICH volumes ≥20 mL and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score of ≥6, and surgery commencing <12 hours after onset). Positive outcome was defined as ≥50% 24 hour ICH volume reduction, with the safety outcome lack of significant ICH reaccumulation. Results From December 2019 to July 2020, we enrolled 10 patients at two Australian Comprehensive Stroke Centers, median age 70 years (IQR 65–74), NIHSS score 19 (IQR 19–29), ICH volume 59 mL (IQR 25–77), at a median of 227 min (IQR 175–377) post-onset. MIS was commenced at a median time of 531 min (IQR 437–628) post-onset, had a median duration of 98 min (IQR 77–110), with a median immediate postoperative hematoma evacuation of 70% (IQR 67–80%). A positive outcome was achieved in 5/5 first stage patients and in 4/5 second stage patients. One patient developed significant 24 hour ICH reaccumulation; otherwise, 24 hour stability was observed (median reduction 71% (IQR 61–80), 5/9 patients <15 mL residual). Three patients died, unrelated to surgery. There were no surgical safety concerns. At 6 months, the median modified Rankin Scale score was 4 (IQR 3–6) with 30% achieving a score of 0–3. Conclusion In this study, early ICH MIS using the Aurora Surgiscope and Evacuator appeared to be feasible and safe, warranting further exploration. Trial registration number ACTRN12619001748101.