Outcomes of Stroke Thrombectomy Performed by Interventional Radiologists versus Neurointerventional Physicians

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Interventional Radiology
• Vascular Surgery

Background:

• Endovascular stroke thrombectomy (EVT) is a critical treatment for acute ischemic stroke.
• Ensuring adequate physician coverage for EVT is essential for timely patient care.
• Interventional radiologists (IRs) and neurointerventional (NI) physicians are key specialists performing EVT.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the clinical outcomes of EVT performed by IRs versus NI physicians.
• To determine if IRs and NI physicians have similar success rates in EVT.
• To assess the potential for IRs to increase EVT availability.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 1,009 patients undergoing EVT at eight hospitals.
• Comparison of successful revascularization and good clinical outcomes (90-day mRS 0-2) between IR and NI physician groups.
• Propensity score matching and statistical adjustment for patient and procedural variables.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in technically successful revascularization rates (IR: 81.8% vs. NI: 82.4%).
• No significant difference in good clinical outcomes (IR: 45.5% vs. NI: 50.1%) after adjustment.
• Physician specialty was not a significant predictor of good clinical outcomes (OR: 1.028, P=0.86).

Conclusions:

• EVT outcomes are similar between IRs and NI physicians.
• IRs can provide comparable results to NI physicians in EVT.
• Findings may inform strategies to improve stroke intervention access and coverage.