Mechanical thrombectomy by Solitaire stent for treating acute ischemic stroke: A prospective cohort study

Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is a worldwide serious health problem. Intravenous (IV) thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) is the standard treatment; however, only a small number of patients benefit from it due to the strict application restrictions. Recently, more and more evidence prove mechanical thrombectomy is an effective and safe therapy of AIS.

From December 2010 to March 2015, 83 patients who underwent mechanical thrombectomy were collected as a sample pool. All patients met the following criteria: National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score ≥10, treatment performed within 6 h from the onset of symptoms, no large hypodensity on CT or multimodal MRI, and angiography revealed occlusion of a major cerebral artery. Recanalization rates were assessed immediately post-procedure by follow-up angiography according to the thrombolysis in cerebral infarction score criteria. Assessment of the modified Rankin Scale was performed 90 days after treatment.

The mean age of patients was 63.3 years, and NIHSS scores 19.12 ± 4.60 at presentation. The vessel occlusions occurred in the middle cerebral artery (68.7%), distal internal carotid artery (7.2%), internal carotid artery with tandem middle cerebral artery occlusion (14.5%), basilar artery (2.4%), and vertebral artery (7.2%). Successful recanalization (TICI 3/2b) was achieved in 56 of 83 patients (67.5%). At 90-day follow-up, good clinical outcome (mRS ≤ 2) was achieved in 33 of 83 patients (39.8%), while 20 patients died (24.1%).

This study revealed mechanical thrombectomy with Solitaire stent device was an effective and safe therapy, which achieved a high rate of angiographic recanalization and independent outcome accompanied by a low mortality rate.