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Updated: Aug 24, 2025
Optimized Management of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke
Published on: January 18, 2018
Thrombectomy Outcomes With General vs Nongeneral Anesthesia: A Pooled Patient-Level Analysis From the EXTEND-IA
Amrou Sarraj1, Gregory W Albers2, Peter J Mitchell2
1From the Case Western Reserve University (A.S.), Neurology; University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center (A.S., D.P.), Neurology, OH; Stanford University (G.W.A., M.G.L.), Neurology, CA; The Royal Melbourne Hospital - University of Melbourne (P.J.M.), Radiology, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; University of Texas Rio Grande Valley - Valley Baptist Medical Center (A.E.H., W.G.T.), Harlingen; University of Kansas Medical Center (M.G.A., S.S., C.G.L., L.M., A.Q., L.R.), Neurology and Radiology; UTHealth McGovern Medical School (S.B., F.S.), Neurosurgery, Houston TX; The Royal Melbourne Hospitals (G.S., N.Y., L.C., G.A.D., S.M.D., B.C.V.C.), University of Melbourne, Neurology; The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (N.Y.), Population Health and Immunity, Parkville, Victoria; Royal Adelaide Hospital (T.J.K.), Neurology, Adelaide, South Australia; Gold Coast University Hospital (D.G.S.), Neurology, Southport, Queensland, Australia; Christchurch Hospital (T.Y.W.), Neurology, Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand; Cleveland Clinic (M.S.H., G.T., M.A.A.), Cerebrovascular Unit, OH; University of Iowa Hospitals (S.O.G.), Neurosurgery; Baptist Health (A.N.A.), Lyerly Neurosurgery, Jacksonville, FL; Emory University (D.C.H., R.G.N.), Neurology, Atlanta, GA; Riverside Methodist Hospital (R.F.B., W.H., N.V.), Colombia, OH; Saint Louis University (R.C.E.), Neurology, MO; University of Tabuk (T.A.), Neurology, KSA; Baylor Scott & White Health (O.M.), Neurology, Dallas, TX; Greensboro | Cone Health (A.A.), Neurology, Greensboro, NC; Touro Infirmary and New Orleans East Hospital (S.M.-S.), Neurology, LA; UTHealth McGovern Medical School (C.W.S.), Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Houston, TX; WellStar Health System (R.G.), Neurology, Marietta, GA; and Memorial Hermann Hospital Texas Medical Center (J.C.G.), Neurology, Houston, TX. Amrou.Sarraj@uhhospitals.org.
Background And Objectives:
The effect of anesthesia choice on endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) outcomes is unclear. Collateral status on perfusion imaging may help identify the optimal anesthesia choice.
Methods:
In a pooled patient-level analysis of EXTEND-IA, EXTEND-IA TNK, EXTEND-IA TNK part II, and SELECT, EVT functional outcomes (modified Rankin Scale score distribution) were compared between general anesthesia (GA) vs non-GA in a propensity-matched sample. Furthermore, we evaluated the association of collateral flow on perfusion imaging, assessed by hypoperfusion intensity ratio (HIR) - Tmax > 10 seconds/Tmax > 6 seconds (good collaterals - HIR < 0.4, poor collaterals - HIR ≥ 0.4) on the association between anesthesia type and EVT outcomes.
Results:
Of 725 treated with EVT, 299 (41%) received GA and 426 (59%) non-GA. The baseline characteristics differed in presentation National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (median [interquartile range] GA: 18 [13-22], non-GA: 16 [11-20], p < 0.001) and ischemic core volume (GA: 15.0 mL [3.2-38.0] vs non-GA: 9.0 mL [0.0-31.0], p < 0.001). In addition, GA was associated with longer last known well to arterial access (203 minutes [157-267] vs 186 minutes [138-252], p = 0.002), but similar procedural time (35.5 minutes [23-59] vs 34 minutes [22-54], p = 0.51). Of 182 matched pairs using propensity scores, baseline characteristics were similar. In the propensity score-matched pairs, GA was independently associated with worse functional outcomes (adjusted common odds ratio [adj. cOR]: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.44-0.93, p = 0.021) and higher neurologic worsening (GA: 14.9% vs non-GA: 8.9%, aOR: 2.10, 95% CI: 1.02-4.33, p = 0.045). Patients with poor collaterals had worse functional outcomes with GA (adj. cOR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.29-0.76, p = 0.002), whereas no difference was observed in those with good collaterals (adj. cOR: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.50-1.74, p = 0.82), p interaction: 0.07. No difference was observed in infarct growth overall and in patients with good collaterals, whereas patients with poor collaterals demonstrated larger infarct growth with GA with a significant interaction between collaterals and anesthesia type on infarct growth rate (p interaction: 0.020).
Discussion:
GA was associated with worse functional outcomes after EVT, particularly in patients with poor collaterals in a propensity score-matched analysis from a pooled patient-level cohort from 3 randomized trials and 1 prospective cohort study. The confounding by indication may persist despite the doubly robust nature of the analysis. These findings have implications for randomized trials of GA vs non-GA and may be of utility for clinicians when making anesthesia type choice.
Classification Of Evidence:
This study provides Class III evidence that use of GA is associated with worse functional outcome in patients undergoing EVT.
Trial Registration Information:
EXTEND-IA: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01492725); EXTEND-IA TNK: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02388061); EXTEND-IA TNK part II: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03340493); and SELECT: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02446587).
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