Background:
Recent endovascular stroke studies utilizing primarily stent retrievers have proven clinical benefit among eligible patients. It remains unclear if this benefit is exclusive to stent retrievers. We present the results of a single-center experience for patients undergoing primary aspiration thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke (AIS).
Methods:
A retrospective analysis of all AIS patients receiving primary aspiration thrombectomy from January 2014 to March 2016 was performed. We assessed stroke severity at admission and discharge as defined by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (NIHSSS), median onset to puncture and onset to recanalization times, location of target vessel treated, rate of concurrent intravenous (IV) alteplase use, and rate of TICI 2b/3 reperfusion. Outcomes adjudicated included rates of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH), favorable discharge disposition to home, and 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score ≤2.
Results:
During the study period, 121 patients (mean age 68.7±16.5 years, 53.7% women) received primary aspiration thrombectomy for 124 occlusions (26% terminal internal carotid artery, 45% M1, 15% M2, 11% basilar artery, 3% other). Median admission NIHSSS was 19 [11, 22] and improved to 6 [1, 15] upon discharge. Median onset to puncture and onset to recanalization times were 258 [148, 371] and 300 [180, 409] minutes, respectively. The rate of TICI 2b/3 reperfusion was 84.7%, and 52% received adjunctive IV alteplase. Rates of favorable discharge to home was 28.9% and 90-day mRS ≤2 was 39.8%. Only one patient developed sICH.
Conclusion:
Our single-center experience shows that primary aspiration thrombectomy can yield both favorable angiographic and clinical outcomes with minimal adverse effect.
Endovascular Thrombectomy Following Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Single-Center Case Series and Critical Review of the Literature
