Do the Benefits of Endovascular Therapy Extend to Basilar Artery Occlusion?

In a pooled individual patient-level meta-analysis of data from four trials, functional outcomes and mortality improved with endovascular therapy despite increased hemorrhage risks.

Stroke thrombectomy trials have focused on mainly anterior-circulation large-vessel occlusion stroke. Because acute basilar artery occlusion stroke can have devastating outcomes, researchers have continued to evaluate whether the benefits of stroke thrombectomy extend to this less-common type of stroke in the posterior circulation, with neutral findings from two initial randomized trials. Two recent randomized trials showed a benefit on functional outcomes despite an increase in symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage risk. Although a study-level meta-analysis of these trials has been published previously (Journal of Stroke 2023; 25:81), a gold-standard individual patient–level meta-analysis has not been reported until now.

Investigators from th…

Reviewing Author

Anthony S. Kim, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; NIH/National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences

Anthony S. Kim, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; NIH/National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences

Do the Benefits of Endovascular Therapy Extend to Basilar Artery Occlusion?

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Reviewing Author