Institute of Emergency Medicine experience in the endovascular treatment of acute ischemic stroke

Abstract

Background: Mechanical thrombectomy is the method of choice and can be the only useful method in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke caused by large vessel occlusions. Mechanical thrombectomy has been used in the Institute of Emergency Medicine since 2018. The results of treatment during this period are presented in this paper. Material and methods: 25 patients hospitalized in the Institute of Emergency Medicine with acute ischemic stroke during the years 2018-2021, for whom the procedure of mechanical thrombectomy by stent retriever or stent retriever plus aspiration catheter was applied, were subjected to retrospective study. Several patients’ variables were assessed, including the quality of revascularization (Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction Score) and the modified Rankin score at 90 days. Results: Successful recanalization (Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction Score at least 2B) was obtained in 84.6% of patients, the score of 3 was achieved in 65.4% of patients. Hemorrhagic complications were established in 2 cases. Estimated mortality was in 23.1% of cases. Of all patients who completed three months from re-permeabilization by May 2021, 58.8% show a modified Rankin score of 0 – 2. Conclusions: The implementation of mechanical thrombectomy in acute stroke completes the protocol of providing specialized healthcare within the stroke unit and improves the treatment results in this unit.