Clinical outcomes of endovascular therapy in acute stroke patients with anterior circulation tandem occlusions due to atherosclerosis and dissection

Abstract

Objective: To compare the clinical outcomes of endovascular therapy in acute stroke patients with anterior circulation tandem occlusions caused by atherosclerosis or dissection. Methods: A retrospective cohort study. A total of 98 patients with anterior circulation tandem lesions undergoing endovascular therapy in the Wuhan NO.1 Hospital (March 2016 to March 2022) were analyzed. Median age was 64(55,71) years old, and 82.7% (81/98 cases) were males. According to the lesion etiology, the patients were divided into atherosclerosis and dissection groups. The differences in clinical outcomes between the two groups were investigated, including favorable 90-day functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale score of 0-2), successful reperfusion (modified Thrombolysis in Cerebrovascular Infarction score of 2b-3), symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, stroke-associated pneumonia, 90-day all-cause mortality, and average hospitalization days. Logistic regression analysis was used to adjust for potential confounders affecting functional outcomes in both groups, and to determine odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Results: Seventy-one patients were grouped into the atherosclerotic cause and 27 into the dissection cause cohorts. The rate of favorable 90-day functional outcome was 43.7% (31/71 cases) in the atherosclerosis group versus 55.6% (15/27 cases) in the dissection group (adjusted odds ratio=1.339; 95% confidence interval, 0.374-4.798; P=0.654). No significant differences were found in other clinical outcomes between the two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusion: The clinical prognosis of patients with tandem lesions caused by atherosclerotic stenosis or artery dissection was similar after endovascular therapy. Future studies are still needed to verify our results.