Effect of carotid artery stenosis on collateral flow status in patients with acute ischemic stroke after mechanical...

Collateral circulation is critical for mitigating ischemic damage in acute ischemic stroke (AIS). This dual-center retrospective cohort study enrolled 240 patients with AIS undergoing mechanical thrombectomy (MT) aimed to evaluate how carotid artery stenosis severity affects collateral flow dynamics, functional outcomes, and 90-day survival.

Patients divided into mild stenosis group (n = 69), moderate stenosis group (n = 117) and severe stenosis and occlusion group (n = 54). Following MT, the ASITN/SIR and BATMAN scores showed a significant increase across all groups compared to pre-MT levels (P < 0.05). However, a notable pattern emerged where both the pre-MT and post-MT scores in the severe stenosis and occlusion group were inferior to those observed in the moderate stenosis group and mild stenosis group (P < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression showed that patients with severe stenosis and occlusion (OR = 3.09, 95% CI:2.56-3.73, p < 0.001), moderate stenosis (OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.13-1.78, p = 0.002), hypertension (OR = 3.36, 95% CI:1.47-7.63, p = 0.003) and T2DM (OR = 4.58, 95% CI:1.52-13.78, p = 0.006) were independent risk factors for poor collateral circulation. Kaplan-Meier curve analysis showed that the 90-day survival rate in the severe stenosis and occlusion group was lower than other groups (χ² = 26.716, P < 0.001). These findings highlight the importance of preoperative stenosis evaluation to guide therapeutic strategies.