Predictors of good outcomes and mortality after thrombectomy for basilar artery occlusion within 12 hours of onset.

BACKGROUND: Patients with acute basilar artery occlusion (ABAO) who undergo combined standard medical treatment (SMT) and endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) may still have unsatisfactory outcomes. This study was conducted to identify the factors that may impact their outcomes. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the data of all patients with ABAO combined with SMT and EVT in the endovascular treatment for acute basilar artery occlusion (ATTENTION) trial. A good outcome is defined as a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 0-3, a poor outcome as mRS score of 4-6, and mortality as death at 90-day follow-up. The study analyzed various factors influencing the patients' good outcomes and mortality. RESULTS: The study included 221 patients (148 men and 73 women). Among these patients, 45.7% achieved an mRS score of 0-3, while the overall mortality rate was 37.1% (82/221). A good outcome was significantly associated with younger age (adjusted OR 0.96; 95% CI 0.93 to 0.99; P=0.019), a baseline posterior circulation Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (pc-ASPECTS) of 8-10 (adjusted OR 2.34; 95% CI 1.07 to 5.12; P=0.034), and post-procedure pc-ASPECTS of 8-10 (adjusted OR 1.40; 95% CI 1.07 to 1.84; P=0.013). Additionally, time from puncture to reperfusion (adjusted OR 2.02; 95% CI 1.2 to 3.41; P=0.008) and intracranial hemorrhage (adjusted OR 3.59; 95% CI 1.09 to 11.8; P=0.035) were associated with 90-day mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Younger age, baseline pc-ASPECTS of 8-10, and higher post-procedure pc-ASPECTS could effectively predict good outcomes for patients with ABAO undergoing EVT. Additionally, a prolonged time from puncture to reperfusion and intracranial hemorrhage can independently predict mortality. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04751708.

The Role of Hyperdense Basilar Artery Sign in Predicting Outcome of Acute Basilar Artery Occlusion within Twelve Hours of Onset.

BACKGROUND: The correlation between hyperdense basilar artery sign (HDBAS) and outcome after acute basilar artery occlusion (ABAO) is debated. Our objective was to determine the usefulness of HDBAS in predicting the outcomes of patients with ABAO after endovascular treatment (EVT), intravenous thrombolysis (IVT), and best medical treatment (BMT). METHODS: The study participants were selected from the ATTENTION trial. The primary outcome of the study was a 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score, and the secondary outcome was the recanalization rate, any intracranial hemorrhage, and 90-day mortality. RESULTS: The study comprised 276 participants, with cohorts for EVT (n = 188), IVT (n = 82), and BMT (n = 88). In the EVT cohort, HDBAS was not associated with 90-day mRS score (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.51-1.48; P = 0.6029), the recanalization after 24 hours of onset (adjusted OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.30-3.61; P = 0.9422), and 90-day mortality (adjusted OR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.41-1.46; P = 0.4238). In the IVT cohort, HDBAS was not associated with a 90-day mRS score (adjusted OR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.31-1.56; P = 0.3742), the recanalization after 24 hours of onset (adjusted OR, 2.24; 95% CI, 0.47-10.78; P = 0.3132), and 90-day mortality (adjusted OR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.26-1.57; P = 0.3264). Similarly, in the BMT cohort, HDBAS was not associated with 90-day mRS score (adjusted OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.47-2.63; P = 0.8152), the recanalization after 24 hours of onset (adjusted OR, 1.27; 95% CI, 0.40-4.02; P = 0.6874), and 90-day mortality (adjusted OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.46-2.96; P = 0.748). CONCLUSIONS: HDBAS may not be a reliable predictor of outcomes for patients with ABAO, regardless of whether they received EVT, IVT, or BMT.

Which glucose parameter best predicts poor outcome after mechanical thrombectomy for acute large vessel occlusion stroke?

BACKGROUND: Hyperglycaemia is related to adverse outcomes in patients with acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) treated with mechanical thrombectomy (MT). AIMS: To compare the predictive ability of admission blood glucose (ABG), fasting blood glucose (FBG) and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) in patients with acute large vessel occlusion (ALVO) stroke undergoing MT. METHODS: The study retrospectively analysed the data of 329 consecutive acute stroke patients treated with MT. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the predictors of poor functional outcome. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to identify the predictive ability of ABG, FBG and HbA1c for poor functional independence in patients with ALVO stroke undergoing MT. In addition, subgroup analyses were performed for both diabetic and non-diabetic patients. RESULTS: Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that ABG and FBG were independent predictors of 3-month poor functional outcome; however, HbA1c could not predict poor functional outcome. ROC analysis showed that FBG has a higher predictive ability than ABG (areas under the ROC curve (AUC): 0.689 vs 0.624; P = 0.037) and HbA1c (AUC: 0.689 vs 0.541; P < 0.001) for poor function outcome. CONCLUSIONS: ABG and FBG are independent predictors of poor functional outcome in patients with AIS undergoing MT, and FBG has a higher predictive ability than ABG and HbA1c.

Factors Associated with Poor Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Endovascular Therapy for Acute Ischemic Stroke due to Large-Vessel Occlusion in Acute Anterior Circulation: A Retrospective Study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate factors associated with poor clinical outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke undergoing endovascular therapy. METHODS: A retrospective review of 265 patients with acute ischemic stroke treated in the First Hospital of Jilin University between January 1, 2016, and November 1, 2019, was performed. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with a modified Rankin score of 0-2 at 90 days. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess potential clinical factors associated with a poor 90-day outcome. RESULTS: The rates of successful revascularization, good prognosis, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, and mortality were 84.5%, 46.0%, 9.8%, and 12.8%, respectively. As per univariate analysis, age, diagnosis of atrial fibrillation, diagnosis of diabetes, high baseline glucose level, tandem occlusion, high National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score at admission, general anesthesia, number of passes, high NIHSS score on discharge, unsuccessful recanalization (modified treatment in cerebral ischemia score <2b), and development of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, hemorrhagic infarction, parenchymal hematoma, and subarachnoid hemorrhage were associated with poor prognosis. Tobacco use was positive in correlation with good prognosis in univariate analysis. Diabetes, tandem occlusion, high NIHSS score at admission, and general anesthesia were independent factors associated with a poor 90-day outcome in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes, tandem occlusion, high NIHSS score at admission, and general anesthesia were independent risk factors associated with a poor 90-day outcome and should be considered a reference by neurointerventionalists in guiding their clinical decision-making.

Impact of leukoaraiosis severity on the association of outcomes of mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke: a systematic review and a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Leukoaraiosis (LA) severity is associated with poor outcome after mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) caused by large vessel occlusion. This meta-analysis aimed to assess the association of LA severity with AIS-related risk factors and outcomes of MT. METHODS: PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Cochrane Collaboration Database was searched for studies on MT for AIS with LA. We conducted a random-effects meta-analysis for the prevalence of stroke risk factors and the MT outcome in the absent to moderate LA and severe LA groups. RESULTS: We included seven cohort studies involving 1294 participants (1019 with absent to moderate LA and 275 with severe LA). The absent to moderate LA group had a significantly lower prevalence of coronary artery disease (odds ratio [OR] 0.43; 95% CI 0.29-0.66), atrial fibrillation (OR, 0.26; 95% CI 0.17-0.38), hypertension (OR, 0.39; 95% CI 0.24-0.61), and ischemic stroke (OR, 0.27; 95% CI 0.15-0.50) than the severe LA group. There were no significant between-group differences in symptom onset to recanalization time (364.4 versus 356.2 min, mean difference 19.4; 95% CI - 28.3 to 67.2), final recanalization rate (modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction score of 2b/3; OR, 0.87; 95% CI 0.55-1.38), and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (OR, 0.62; 95% CI 0.34-1.11). The absent to moderate LA group had a higher good functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale score of 0-2 at 90 days; OR, 4.55; 95% CI 3.20-6.47) and a lower mortality rate (179/1019 vs 108/275; OR, 0.28; 95% CI 0.20-0.39). CONCLUSION: There are unique differences in the characteristics of risk factors and clinical outcomes of ischemic stroke across patients with LA of different severity. Patients with severe LA are more likely to be associated with risk factors for cerebrovascular disease and have a poor post-MT outcome.