Endovascular thrombectomy with or without systemic thrombolysis?

Objectives: Current recommendations advocate that pretreatment with intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) should first be offered to all eligible patients with emergent large vessel occlusion (ELVO) before an endovascular thrombectomy (ET) procedure. However, there are observational data that question the safety and efficacy of IVT pretreatment in patients with ELVO. Methods: We performed a meta-analysis of the included subgroups from ET randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the comparative efficacy between direct ET without IVT pretreatment and bridging therapy (IVT and ET) in patients with ELVO. Results: We included a total of seven RCTs, including 1764 patients with ELVO (52.8% men). Patients receiving bridging therapy (IVT followed by ET) had lower rates ( p = 0.041) of 90-day death/severe dependency (modified Rankin Scale-score of 5–6; 19.0%, 95% CI: 14.1–25.1%) compared with patients receiving only ET (31.0%, 95% CI: 21.2–42.9%). Moreover, patients receiving IVT and ET had a nonsignificant ( p = 0.389) trend towards higher 90-day functional independence rates (51.4%, 95% CI: 42.5–60.1%) compared with patients undergoing only ET (41.7%, 95% CI: 24.1–61.7%). Finally, shift-analysis uncovered a nonsignificant trend towards functional improvement at 90 days for bridging therapy over ET (cOR = 1.28, 95% CI: 0.91–1.89; p = 0.155). It should be noted that patients included in the present meta-analysis were not randomized to receive IVT, and thus the two groups (bridging therapy versus ET monotherapy) may differ in terms of baseline characteristics and, in particular, in terms of onset to groin puncture time and thus the risk of confounding bias cannot be ruled out. Conclusion: Despite the limitations and the risk of confounding bias, our findings contradict the recent notion regarding potential equality between ET and bridging therapy in ELVO patients and suggest that IVT and ET are complementary therapies that should be pursued in a parallel and noncompeting fashion.

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Abstract 130: Is Intravenous Thrombolysis Far From Obsolete in the Era of Endovascular Thrombectomy? A Hint From a Meta-analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.48.suppl_1.130 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Georgios Tsivgoulis ◽

Aristeidis H Katsanos ◽

Dimitris Mavridis ◽

Anne W Alexandrov ◽

Georgios Magoufis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Randomized Clinical Trials ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Intravenous Thrombolysis ◽

Functional Independence ◽

Bridging Therapy ◽

Vessel Occlusion ◽

Endovascular Thrombectomy ◽

Systemic Thrombolysis ◽

Shift Analysis ◽

Ordinal Logistic Regression Analysis

Background & Purpose: Current AHA recommendations advocate that pretreatment with intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) should first be offered to all eligible acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients with emergent large vessel occlusion (ELVO) before an endovascular thrombectomy (ET) procedure. Nevertheless, recent single-center observational studies question the utility of IVT pretreatment in ELVO patients eligible for systemic thrombolysis and advocate ET monotherapy. We sought to evaluate the comparative efficacy between ET and bridging therapy (IVT&ET) in AIS due to ELVO. Methods: We performed mixed-effects subgroup analyses, according to IVT pretreatment status of both functional independence [modified Rankin Scale (mRS) of 0-2)] and death/dependency (mRS of 5-6) at 90 days using available RCTs that evaluated the safety and efficacy of ET with stent-retrievers in comparison to standard therapy. We additionally performed an ordinal logistic regression analysis of individual patient data on the distribution of 3-month mRS scores (shift analysis) between the two groups. Results: We identified 7 eligible RCTs including 1764 ELVO patients (53% men), and 108 patients randomized to ET without IVT pretreatment. Patients receiving bridging therapy (BT) had lower rates (p=0.041) of 90-day death/dependency (19%, 95%CI: 14%-25%) compared to patients receiving only ET (31%, 95%CI: 21%-43%; Figure). Similarly, shift-analysis favored a trend for BT over ET in terms of better 90-day functional outcome (common OR=0.78, 95%CI: 0.53-1.10; p=0.155). Conclusion: Our findings indicate that pretreatment with IVT prior ET in ELVO patients may be associated with lower rates of three-month death/dependency and a trend towards more favorable functional outcomes. Until the results from head-to-head RCTs comparing BT to ET monotherapy become available, our findings support AHA guidelines recommending delivery of tPA to appropriate ELVO candidates undergoing ET.

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Comparison of Prior Bridging Intravenous Thrombolysis With Direct Endovascular Thrombectomy for Anterior Circulation Large Vessel Occlusion: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Frontiers in Neurology ◽

10.3389/fneur.2021.602370 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Zhao-Ji Chen ◽

Xiao-Fang Li ◽

Cheng-Yu Liang ◽

Lei Cui ◽

Li-Qing Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Meta Analysis ◽

Intravenous Thrombolysis ◽

Functional Independence ◽

Large Vessel Occlusion ◽

Bridging Therapy ◽

Anterior Circulation ◽

Vessel Occlusion ◽

Endovascular Thrombectomy ◽

Significant Difference

Background: Whether bridging treatment combining intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) is superior to direct EVT alone for emergent large vessel occlusion (LVO) in the anterior circulation is unknown. A systematic review and a meta-analysis were performed to investigate and assess the effect and safety of bridging treatment vs. direct EVT in patients with LVO in the anterior circulation.Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane library were searched to assess the effect and safety of bridging treatment and direct EVT in LVO. Functional independence, mortality, asymptomatic and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (aICH and sICH, respectively), and successful recanalization were evaluated. The risk ratio and the 95% CI were analyzed.Results: Among the eight studies included, there was no significant difference in the long-term functional independence (OR = 1.008, 95% CI = 0.845–1.204, P = 0.926), mortality (OR = 1.060, 95% CI = 0.840–1.336, P = 0.624), recanalization rate (OR = 1.015, 95% CI = 0.793–1.300, P = 0.905), and the incidence of sICH (OR = 1.320, 95% CI = 0.931–1.870, P = 0.119) between bridging therapy and direct EVT. After adjusting for confounding factors, bridging therapy showed a lower recanalization rate (effect size or ES = −0.377, 95% CI = −0.684 to −0.070, P = 0.016), but there was no significant difference in the long-term functional independence (ES = 0.057, 95% CI = −0.177 to 0.291, P = 0.634), mortality (ES = 0.693, 95% CI = −0.133 to 1.519, P = 0.100), and incidence of sICH (ES = −0.051, 95% CI = −0.687 to 0.585, P = 0.875) compared with direct EVT. Meanwhile, in the subgroup analysis of RCT, no significant difference was found in the long-term functional independence (OR = 0.927, 95% CI = 0.727–1.182, P = 0.539), recanalization rate (OR = 1.331, 95% CI = 0.948–1.867, P = 0.099), mortality (OR = 1.072, 95% CI = 0.776–1.481, P = 0.673), and sICH incidence (OR = 1.383, 95% CI = 0.806–2.374, P = 0.977) between patients receiving bridging therapy and those receiving direct DVT.Conclusion: For stroke patients with acute anterior circulation occlusion and who are eligible for intravenous thrombolysis, there is no significant difference in the clinical effect between direct EVT and bridging therapy, which needs to be verified by more randomized controlled trials.

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Endovascular thrombectomy in anterior circulation stroke and clinical value of bridging with intravenous thrombolysis

Acta Radiologica ◽

10.1177/0284185118780897 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 60 (3) ◽

pp. 308-314 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Arturs Balodis ◽

Maija Radzina ◽

Evija Miglane ◽

Anthony Rudd ◽

Andrejs Millers ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Intravenous Thrombolysis ◽

Functional Independence ◽

Clinical Value ◽

Bridging Therapy ◽

Anterior Circulation ◽

Vessel Occlusion ◽

Endovascular Thrombectomy ◽

Clinical Criteria ◽

Group 12 ◽

Procedural Time

Background Bridging treatment with intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) before endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) in acute ischemic stroke is applied under the assumption of benefits for patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO). However, the benefit of this additional step has not yet been proven. Purpose To compare procedural parameters (procedural time, number of attempts), complications, and clinical outcome in patients receiving EVT vs. patients with bridging treatment. Material and Methods In this prospective study all patients had acute anterior cerebral circulation occlusion and were treated with EVT. All patients were selected for treatment based on clinical criteria, multimodal computed tomography (CT) imaging. Eighty-four patients were treated with bridging IVT followed by EVT; 62 patients were treated with EVT only. Results Bridging therapy did not influence endovascular procedure time ( P = 0.71) or number of attempts needed ( P = 0.63). Bleeding from any site was more common in the bridging group (27, 32%) vs. the EVT group (12, 19%) ( P = 0.09). Functional independence modified Rankin Scale after 90 days was slightly higher in the bridging group (44%) vs. the EVT group (42%) ( P = 0.14). Mortality did not differ significantly at 90 days: 17% in the bridging group vs. 21% in EVT alone ( P = 0.57). Both treatment methods showed high recanalization rates: 94% in the bridging group and 89% for EVT alone. Conclusion Bridging treatment in LVO did not show benefits or elevated risks of complications in comparison to EVT only. The bridging group did not show significantly better neurological outcome or significant impact on procedural parameters vs. EVT alone.

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Abstract WP112: Thrombolysis for AIS in the Unwitnessed or Extended Therapeutic Time Window: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.51.suppl_1.wp112 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 51 (Suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Aristeidis H Katsanos ◽

Konark Malhotra ◽

Amrou Sarraj ◽

Andrew Barreto ◽

Martin Köhrmann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Symptom Onset ◽

Time Window ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Onset Time ◽

Intravenous Thrombolysis ◽

Functional Independence ◽

Functional Improvement ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Significant Difference ◽

All Cause Mortality

Introduction: We sought to assess the utility of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) treatment in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients with unclear symptom onset time or outside the 4.5 hour time window, selected by advanced neuroimaging. Methods: We performed random-effects meta-analyses on the unadjusted and adjusted for potential confounders associations of IVT (alteplase 0.9 mg/kg) with the following outcomes: 3-month favorable functional outcome [FFO, modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores: 0-1], 3-month functional independence (FI, mRS-scores: 0-2), 3-month mortality, 3-month functional improvement (assessed with ordinal analysis on the mRS-scores), symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) and complete recanalization (CR). Results: We identified 4 eligible RCTs (859 total patients). In unadjusted analyses IVT was associated with higher likelihood of 3-month FFO (OR=1.48, 95%CI:1.12-1.96), FI (OR=1.42, 95%CI:1.07-1.90), sICH (OR=5.28, 95%CI:1.35-20.68) and CR (OR=3.29, 95%CI:1.90-5.69), with no significant difference in the odds of all-cause mortality risk at three months (OR=1.75, 95%CI: 0.93-3.29). In the adjusted analyses IVT was also associated with higher odds of 3-month FFO (OR adj =1.62, 95%CI:1.20-2.20), functional improvement (OR adj =1.42, 95%CI: 1.11-1.81) and sICH (OR adj =6.22, 95%CI: 1.37-28.26). There was no association between IVT and FI (OR adj =1.61, 95%CI: 0.94-2.75) or all-cause mortality at three months (OR adj =1.75, 95%CI: 0.93-3.29). No evidence of heterogeneity was evident in any of the analyses (I 2 =0). Conclusion: IVT in AIS patients with unknown symptom onset time or elapsed time from symptom onset more than 4.5 hours, selected with advanced neuroimaging, results in a higher likelihood of complete recanalization and functional improvement at three months despite the increased risk of sICH.

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Abstract TP28: Intravenous Thrombolysis is Associated With Better Functional Outcomes in Endovascular Thrombectomy Patients Requiring Multiple-Passes to Achieve Reperfusion

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.51.suppl_1.tp28 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 51 (Suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Christopher Blair ◽

Cecilia Cappelen-Smith ◽

Dennis Cordato ◽

Leon Edwards ◽

Amer Mitchelle ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Outcomes ◽

Intravenous Thrombolysis ◽

Functional Independence ◽

Independent Effect ◽

Large Vessel Occlusion ◽

Anterior Circulation ◽

Vessel Occlusion ◽

Endovascular Thrombectomy ◽

Multiple Pass ◽

First Pass

Introduction: In patients with anterior circulation stroke with large vessel occlusion (LVO), recent data suggest that successful reperfusion (mTICI≥2b) after a single device pass results in more favourable functional outcomes in comparison to patients requiring multiple passes. It is unclear if this effect represents an epiphenomenon or a true independent effect. Methods: A prospectively maintained database of EVT was interrogated for patients presenting with anterior circulation LVO with onset to groin puncture times of ≤ 6 hours from January 2016 to March 2019. Three-month functional outcomes were compared between first-pass reperfusion and multiple-pass reperfusion patients using logistic regression. Results: A total of 169 patients were identified (mean age 71 yrs, 44% female, median NIHSS 17, intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) in 47%). Successful reperfusion (mTICI≥2b) was achieved with the first-pass (FP) in 80 patients (47%) and multiple-passes (MP) in 89 patients (53%). First pass patients had better outcomes when compared to MP patients (mRS 0-2 71% vs 31%, p < 0.001). No difference in functional outcomes was seen between FP patients who received IVT and those that did not (mRS 0-2 68% vs 75%, p = 0.459). Multiple-pass patients who received IVT achieved higher rates of functional independence than those who did not (mRS 0-2 40% vs 27%, p = 0.035). Conclusion: Intravenous thrombolysis may improve functional recovery in EVT patients requiring multiple-passes to achieve reperfusion. Prospective studies should be considered.

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'Drip-and-ship' intravenous thrombolysis and outcomes for large vessel occlusion thrombectomy candidates in a hub-and-spoke telestroke model

Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery ◽

10.1136/neurintsurg-2021-017819 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. neurintsurg-2021-017819

Author(s):

Robert W Regenhardt ◽

Joseph A Rosenthal ◽

Amine Awad ◽

Juan Carlos Martinez-Gutierrez ◽

Neal M Nolan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Intravenous Thrombolysis ◽

Functional Independence ◽

Large Vessel ◽

Large Vessel Occlusion ◽

Vessel Occlusion ◽

Hub And Spoke ◽

Endovascular Thrombectomy ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Intravenous Alteplase ◽

Model Versus

BackgroundRandomized trials have not demonstrated benefit from intravenous thrombolysis among patients undergoing endovascular thrombectomy (EVT). However, these trials included primarily patients presenting directly to an EVT capable hub center. We sought to study outcomes for EVT candidates who presented to spoke hospitals and were subsequently transferred for EVT consideration, comparing those administered alteplase at spokes (i.e., ‘drip-and-ship’ model) versus those not.MethodsConsecutive EVT candidates presenting to 25 spokes from 2018 to 2020 with pre-transfer CT angiography defined emergent large vessel occlusion and Alberta Stroke Program CT score ≥6 were identified from a prospectively maintained Telestroke database. Outcomes of interest included adequate reperfusion (Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (TICI) 2b–3), intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), discharge functional independence (modified Rankin Scale (mRS) ≤2), and 90 day functional independence.ResultsAmong 258 patients, median age was 70 years (IQR 60–81), median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was 13 (6-19), and 50% were women. Ninety-eight (38%) were treated with alteplase at spokes and 113 (44%) underwent EVT at the hub. Spoke alteplase use independently increased the odds of discharge mRS ≤2 (adjusted OR 2.43, 95% CI 1.08 to 5.46, p=0.03) and 90 day mRS ≤2 (adjusted OR 3.45, 95% CI 1.65 to 7.22, p=0.001), even when controlling for last known well, NIHSS, and EVT; it was not associated with an increased risk of ICH (OR 1.04, 95% CI 0.39 to 2.78, p=0.94), and there was a trend toward association with greater TICI 2b–3 (OR 3.59, 95% CI 0.94 to 13.70, p=0.06).ConclusionsIntravenous alteplase at spoke hospitals may improve discharge and 90 day mRS and should not be withheld from EVT eligible patients who first present at alteplase capable spoke hospitals that do not perform EVT. Additional studies are warranted to confirm and further explore these benefits.

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Endovascular thrombectomy without versus with intravenous thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke: a non-inferiority meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials

Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery ◽

10.1136/neurintsurg-2021-017667 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. neurintsurg-2021-017667

Author(s):

Chun-Hsien Lin ◽

Jeffrey L Saver ◽

Bruce Ovbiagele ◽

Wen-Yi Huang ◽

Meng Lee

Keyword(s):

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽

Randomized Trials ◽

Randomized Clinical Trials ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Intravenous Thrombolysis ◽

Functional Independence ◽

Risk Difference ◽

Endovascular Thrombectomy ◽

Symptomatic Intracranial Hemorrhage

ObjectiveTo conduct a meta-analysis of randomized trials to comprehensively compare the effect of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) versus intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) plus EVT on functional independence (modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 0–2) after acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusions (AIS-LVO).MethodsWe searched Pubmed, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and clinicaltrials.gov from January 2000 to February 2021 and abstracts presented at the International Stroke Conference in March 2021 to identify trials comparing EVT alone versus IVT plus EVT in AIS-LVO. Five non-inferiority margins established in the literature were assessed: −15%, −10%, −6.5%, −5%, and −1.3% for the risk difference for functional independence at 90 days.ResultsFour trials met the selection criteria, enrolling 1633 individuals, with 817 participants randomly assigned to EVT alone and 816 to IVT plus EVT. Crude cumulative rates of 90-day functional independence were 46.0% with EVT alone versus 45.5% with IVT plus EVT. Pooled results showed the risk difference of functional independence was 1% (95% CI −4% to 5%) between EVT alone versus IVT plus EVT. The lower 95% CI bound of −4% fell within the non-inferiority margins of −15%, −10%, −6.5%, and −5%, but not −1.3%. Pooled results also showed the risk difference between EVT alone versus IVT plus EVT was 1% (95% CI −3% to 5%) for mRS 0–1, and 1% (95% CI −1% to 3%) for symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage.ConclusionsThis meta-analysis suggests that EVT alone is non-inferior to IVT plus EVT for several, but not the most stringent, non-inferiority margins.

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Bridging Therapy and Direct Thrombectomy for Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Prospective Cohort Study

Journal of Stroke Medicine ◽

10.1177/2516608520976275 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 124-130

Author(s):

Trung Quoc Nguyen ◽

Anh Le Tuan Truong ◽

Hoang Thi Kim Phan ◽

Duan Duy Nguyen ◽

Khang Vinh Nguyen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽

Therapy Group ◽

Intravenous Thrombolysis ◽

Functional Independence ◽

Artery Occlusion ◽

Large Artery ◽

Bridging Therapy ◽

Vessel Occlusion ◽

Reperfusion Rate

Background: It remains controversial if intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) prior to mechanical thrombectomy (MTE) is superior to MTE alone in patients with acute ischemic stroke caused by large vessel occlusion. We aim to compare functional outcomes, mortality, reperfusion, and intracranial hemorrhage rates in bridging therapy (IVT prior thrombectomy) and MTE alone groups within 6 h from symptom onset. Materials and Methods: Consecutive hospitalized patients (September 2017 and July 2018) with acute large artery occlusion within the anterior cerebral circulation eligible for MTE with or without prior IVT were included. A modified Rankin Scale score of 0 to 2 was considered as good functional outcome at 90 days. Successful reperfusion was defined as a Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction scale of 2b to 3. Results: Of the 124 patients included, 56 (45.2%) received bridging therapy and 68 (54.8%) received MTE alone. Patients receiving bridging therapy were younger (median, 56 vs 63, P = .045) and had shorter onset-to-groin time (median, 270 vs 370 min, P < .001) than those receiving MTE alone. Successful reperfusion rate was significantly greater in the bridging therapy group (87.5% vs 72.1%, P = 0.03). There were no statistically significant differences between the 2 groups in functional independence (bridging 58.9% vs 75.0%, P = 0.07), mortality at 90 days (bridging 14.3% vs 7.4%, P = 0.22), parenchymal hematoma type 2 (bridging 3.6% vs 2.9%, P > .99), and any hemorrhage (bridging 42.3% vs 26.5%, P = 0.07). Conclusion: Compared to MTE alone, bridging therapy with IVT improved the reperfusion rate but not other outcomes. Further clinical trials are needed to confirm our findings.

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Abstract 106: Safety and Efficacy of Sonothrombolysis in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients With Large Vessel Occlusion: International Collaborative Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.51.suppl_1.106 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 51 (Suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Georgios Tsivgoulis ◽

Aristeidis H Katsanos ◽

Jürgen Eggers ◽

Vincent Larrue ◽

Lars Thomassen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽

Intracranial Hemorrhage ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Intravenous Thrombolysis ◽

Functional Independence ◽

Large Vessel ◽

Large Vessel Occlusion ◽

Vessel Occlusion ◽

Safety And Efficacy

Introduction: Conflicting evidence has been published regarding the safety and efficacy of ultrasound-enhanced thrombolysis (sonothrombolysis) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO). Methods: We conducted an individual participant data meta-analysis of available randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing sonothrombolysis with or without addition of microspheres (treatment group) to intravenous thrombolysis alone (control group) in AIS patients with LVO. Results: We included 6 in total RCTs that enrolled 1077 AIS patients. A total of 138 and 134 confirmed LVO patients were randomized to treatment and control groups respectively (median age 68 years, 58% men, median baseline NIHSS score 16). Patients randomized to sonothrombolysis had increased odds of complete recanalization compared to patients receiving intravenous thrombolysis alone (40.3% vs. 22.4%; OR=2.30, 95%CI: 1.05-5.02; adjusted OR=2.33, 95%CI: 1.02-5.34). They also tended to have increased odds of any (complete or partial recanalization (66.4% vs. 53.0%; OR=1.78, 95%CI: 0.95-3.33; adjusted OR=1.85, 95%CI: 0.97-3.53). The likelihood of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage did not differ between the two groups (7.3% vs. 3.7%, OR=2.52, 95%CI: 0.77-8.29; adjusted OR=2.55, 95%CI: 0.76-8.52). No differences in the likelihood of asymptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (adjusted OR: 1.30, 95%CI: 0.38-4.39), three-month mortality (adjusted OR: 1.23, 95%CI: 0.25-6.05), three-month favorable functional outcome (mRS-scores of 0-1; adjusted OR: 1.43, 95%CI: 0.64-3.19) and three-month functional independence (mRS-scores of 0-2; adjusted OR: 1.43, 95%CI: 0.77-2.64) were documented. Conclusion: Sonothrombolysis was associated with a two-fold increase in the odds of complete recanalization compared to intravenous thrombolysis alone in AIS patients with LVOs. Further study of the safety and efficacy of sonothrombolysis is warranted.

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Clinical and Neuroimaging Outcomes of Direct Thrombectomy vs Bridging Therapy in Large Vessel Occlusion: Analysis of the SELECT Cohort Study

Neurology ◽

10.1212/wnl.0000000000012063 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 10.1212/WNL.0000000000012063

Author(s):

Amrou Sarraj ◽

James Grotta ◽

Gregory W. Albers ◽

Ameer E. Hassan ◽

Spiros Blackburn ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Outcomes ◽

Functional Independence ◽

Stroke Severity ◽

Large Vessel Occlusion ◽

Bridging Therapy ◽

Anterior Circulation ◽

Vessel Occlusion ◽

Endovascular Thrombectomy ◽

Subgroup Analyses ◽

Core Volume

Objective:To evaluate the comparative safety and efficacy of direct endovascular thrombectomy(dEVT) compared to bridging therapy(BT:IV-tPA+EVT) and assess if BT potential benefit relates to stroke severity, size and initial presentation to EVT vs. non-EVT center.Methods:In a prospective multicenter cohort-study of imaging selection for endovascular thrombectomy[SELECT], anterior-circulation large vessel occlusion (LVO) patients presenting to EVT-capable centers within 4.5hours from last-known-well were stratified into BT vs. dEVT. The primary outcome was 90-day functional independence[modified Rankin Scale(mRS)=0-2]. Secondary outcomes included a shift across 90-day mRS grades, mortality, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. We also performed subgroup-analyses according to initial presentation to EVT-capable center (direct versus transfer), stroke severity and baseline infarct core volume.Results:We identified 226 LVOs (54%:men, mean age:65.6±14.6years, median NIHSS-score: 17, 28% received dEVT). Median time from arrival to groin-puncture did not differ in BT-patients when presenting directly[dEVT:1.43 (IQR=1.13-1.90) hours vs. BT:1.58(IQR=1.27-2.02)hours,p=0.40] or transferred to EVT-capable centers[dEVT:1.17 (IQR: 0.90-1.48) hours vs. BT:1.27 (IQR: 0.97-1.87) hours,p=0.24]. BT was associated with higher odds of 90-day functional independence (57% vs. 44%,aOR=2.02,95%CI:1.01-4.03,p=0.046) and functional improvement (adjusted cOR=2.06,95%CI:1.18-3.60,p=0.011), and lower likelihood of 90-day mortality (11% vs. 23%,aOR: 0.20,95%CI:0.07-0.58,p=0.003). No differences in any other outcomes were detected. In subgroup-analyses, BT patients with baseline NIHSS-scores<15 had higher functional independence likelihood compared to dEVT (aOR=4.87,95%CI:1.56-15.18,p=0.006); this association was not evident for patients with NIHSS-scores≥15 (aOR=1.05,95%CI:0.40-2.74,p=0.92). Similarly, functional outcomes improvements with BT were detected in patients with core volume strata (Ischemic core <50cc: aOR: 2.10, 95% CI:1.02-4.33, p=0.044 vs ischemic core ≥50cc: aOR: 0.41,95% CI:0.01-16.02,p=0.64) and transfer status (transferred: aOR: 2.21,95% CI:0.93-9.65,p=0.29 vs direct to EVT center: aOR:1.84,95%CI:0.80-4.23,p=0.15).Conclusions:Bridging therapy appears to be associated with better clinical outcomes, especially with milder NIHSS-scores, smaller presentation core volumes and those who were “dripped and shipped”. We did not observe any potential benefit of bridging therapy in patients with more severe strokes.Classification of Evidence:This study provides Class III evidence that for patients with ischemic stroke from anterior-circulation LVO within 4.5 hours from last-known-well, bridging therapy compared to direct endovascular thrombectomy leads to better 90-day functional outcomes.

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