Endovascular Procedures versus Intravenous Thrombolysis in Stroke Patients with Tandem Occlusion of the Anterior Circulation

Abstract

Stroke is a devastating disease that affects more than 795,000 Americans each year and costs the health care system an estimated $36.5 billion annually ( 1 Go A.S. Mozaffarian D. Roger V.L. et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics—2014 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2014; 129: e28-e292 Crossref PubMed Scopus (4415) Google Scholar ). In the past, treatment of acute ischemic stroke was essentially based on damage control and consisted of physical and occupational therapy to maximize function in the setting of permanent neurologic deficits. The management of acute ischemic stroke has advanced greatly during the past two decades with the introduction of novel pharmacologic and endovascular therapies aimed at reperfusion of ischemic brain. Endovascular Procedures versus Intravenous Thrombolysis in Stroke with Tandem Occlusion of the Anterior CirculationJournal of Vascular and Interventional RadiologyVol. 25Issue 8PreviewStroke with tandem occlusion within the anterior circulation presents a lower probability of recanalization and good clinical outcome after intravenous (IV) thrombolysis than stroke with single occlusion. The present study describes the impact of endovascular procedures (EPs) compared with IV thrombolysis alone on recanalization and clinical outcome. Full-Text PDF