By Dr C Zerna, Dr ZA Assis, Dr Almekhlafi & Dr M Goyal
Six positive trials of mechanical thrombectomy for anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke due to large-vessel occlusion established endovascular therapy as a standard of care for such patients. These trials (MR CLEAN, ESCAPE, SWIFT-PRIME, EXTEND-IA, REVASCAT and THRACE) each enrolled 70-500 previously-independent subjects with varying eligibility regarding age, stroke severity, treatment time window, intravenous (IV) recombinant tissue plasminogen
activator (rtPA) treatment, and additional extracranial occlusions [1-6].