Safety and efficacy of endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke of large-vessel occlusion beyond the time window based on imaging evaluation

Purpose Endovascular treatment (EVT) of acute ischemic stroke caused by large-vessel occlusion (AIS-LVO) over 24 h of onset remains controversial. This study was to explore the safety and efficacy of EVT for patients with AIS-LVO between 24 and 72 h of symptom onset after rigorous imaging evaluation. Methods Patients with AIS-LVO treated with EVT were retrospectively enrolled and divided into two groups according to the time from symptom onset to groin puncture: 64 in the over-time group (>24 h) and 257 in the within-time group (≤24 h). Outcomes included 3-month modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score, functional independence (defined as mRS 0–2), successful cerebral reperfusion, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH), and 3-month mortality. Results Patients in the over-time group had no significant differences in the functional independence (40.6% vs 42.5%, odds ratio or OR 0.91, 95% confidence interval or CI 0.52–1.60, p = 0.753), successful reperfusion (96.7% vs 95.8%, OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.36–1.59, p = 0.467), sICH (8.3% vs 6.7%, OR 1.20, 95% CI 0.42–3.38, p = 0.735), 3-month mortality (13.3% vs 10.8%, OR 1.17, 95% CI 0.51–2.70, p = 0.716) compared with patients in the within-time group. After matching adjustment, the results did not change significantly. Conclusions The safety and effectiveness of EVT treatment for selected AIS-LVO patients with symptom onset of 24–72 h are not inferior to those treated within 6–24 h of onset, especially in a short term based on the pre-treatment advanced neuroimaging computed tomography perfusion even though further investigations are necessary to prove this finding.