[Endovascular treatment good in acute ischemic stroke]

Systemic thrombolysis is an established treatment in acute ischemic stroke. Endovascular treatment to reperfuse occluded vessels has been in clinical practice the last decade. The role of neurointervention in acute ischemic stroke has been questioned. Within the last year, several randomized controlled trials have been published, comparing endovascular treatment and systemic thrombolysis with systemic thrombolysis alone. A meta-analysis, using data from six trials treating 1569 patients, was recently published. In this meta-analysis, patients treated with endovascular therapy in addition to IV thrombolysis had a more favourable clinical outcome compared to patients receiving IV thrombolysis alone, after 3 months. Compared to the individual studies, a decreased mortality in the intervention group was shown. Assessing the safety of endovascular treatment, there was no increased risk of intracranial bleed-ing, compared to IV thrombolysis alone. This meta-analysis highlights and summarizes the scientific evidence for endovascular treatment in acute ischemic stroke.