More Positive Trials of Mechanical Thrombectomy for Acute Ischemic Stroke

In 2013, the first randomized clinical trials of mechanical thrombectomy showed that it did not improve stroke outcomes. By then, however, researchers in a second series of studies were testing newer retrievable stent devices. When the first trial, MR CLEAN, reported a 13% absolute increase in good neurological outcome (modified Rankin Scale score, ≤2), all other trials were stopped early. ESCAPE and EXTEND-IA reported absolute increases in good outcomes of 24% and 31%, respectively. Now, researchers have published final results in the two remaining studies, SWIFT PRIME and REVASCAT, industry-supported trials that compared medical therapy alone or with the Solitaire thrombectomy device in patients aged 18 to 80 with confirmed occlusion of t…