There is a discrepancy between successful recanalization and good clinical outcome after endovascular treatment (EVT) in acute ischemic stroke patients. During removal of a thrombus, a shower of microemboli may release and lodge to the distal circulation. The objective of this study was to determine the extent of damage on brain tissue caused by microemboli. In a rat model of microembolization, a mixture of microsphere (MS) sizes (15, 25 and 50 µm diameter) was injected via the left internal carotid artery. A 3D image of the left hemisphere was reconstructed and a point-pattern spatial analysis was applied based on G- and K-functions to unravel the spatial correlation between MS and the induced hypoxia or infarction. We show a spatial correlation between MS and hypoxia or infarction spreading up to a distance of 1000–1500 µm. These results imply that microemboli, which individually may not always be harmful, can interact and result in local areas of hypoxia or even infarction when lodged in large numbers.

急性缺血性卒中患者血管内治疗 (EVT) 后成功的再通与良好的临床结果之间存在差异。在去除血栓期间，可能会释放大量微栓子并滞留在远端循环中。本研究的目的是确定微栓子对脑组织造成的损伤程度。在大鼠微栓塞模型中，通过左颈内动脉注射微球 (MS) 大小（直径为 15、25 和 50 µm）的混合物。重建左半球的 3D 图像，并基于 G 和 K 函数应用点模式空间分析，以解开 MS 与诱导的缺氧或梗塞之间的空间相关性。我们展示了 MS 与缺氧或梗塞之间的空间相关性，其传播距离可达 1000-1500 µm。