Endovascular thrombectomy plus intravenous thrombolysis versus endovascular thrombectomy alone for large ischemic stroke
摘要
Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) is the gold standard for eligible acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO). A few trials studied EVT in AIS-LVO with large ischemic infarcts. We investigated the impact of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) on EVT outcomes in those patients.
MethodsWe conducted a meta-analysis using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist and Cochrane Handbook of Systematic Reviews and Interventions. We searched 4 databases and performed our analysis utilizing a pooled risk ratio (RR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI).
ResultsThree studies investigated EVT with and without IVT in AIS-LVO patients with large ischemic infarcts. Regarding the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 0–2 at 3 months, there was a statistically significant difference favoring EVT plus IVT (RR: 1.48, 95%CI: 1.27, 1.72, P < 0.00001). In respect of mRS score of 0–3, the analysis also favored EVT plus IVT (RR: 1.25, 95%CI: 1.11, 1.41, P = 0.0003). Regarding early neurological improvement (ENI) at 24 and 36 hours, our analysis favored EVT plus IVT (RR: 1.16, 95%CI: 1.01, 1.34, P = 0.03). In terms of mortality, our analysis favored EVT plus IVT (RR: 0.88, 95%CI: 0.77, 1, P = 0.04). There was no difference between the two groups across different types of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH).
ConclusionOur results showed a beneficial impact of IVT on the outcomes of EVT in AIS-LVO patients with large ischemic infarcts in terms of functional outcomes and ENI. IVT was also associated with a lower mortality rate but not with an increased risk of ICH. Larger studies are needed to corroborate such results.