Successful endovascular stroke therapy in a 103-year-old woman

People older than 80 years of age constitute the most rapidly growing age group in the world. Several trials confirming superior efficacy of endovascular therapy did not have an upper age limit and showed favorable treatment effects, regardless of age. Current American Heart Association/American Stroke Association guidelines do not restrict treatment based on age as long as other eligibility criteria are met. A 103-year-old woman presented 2 h after stroke onset secondary to a left internal carotid artery terminus (ICA-T) occlusion. Admission National Institutes of Health Stoke Scale (NIHSS) score was 38, with no early ischemic changes on imaging, pre-stroke modified Rankin Scale score was 0, and she lived independently with minimal help. After initiation of intravenous thrombolysis, the patient underwent successful mechanical thrombectomy with Thombosis in Cerebral Infaction-3 recanalization. She showed remarkable recovery (NIHSS score of 1 at 48 h). Stroke onset to recanalization was 3 h 40 min. Our objective in documenting the oldest patient to successfully undergo stroke intervention is to corroborate that with the current evidence, appropriate patients undergoing rapid treatment may allow us to advance the limits of endovascular therapy.