NASHVILLE, TENN. – A 1 million–patient analysis of the Get With the Guidelines database found striking improvements in outcomes after ischemic stroke.
Despite the proven benefits of new-generation clot-retrieval devices, however, only about 2% of such stroke patients undergo endovascular therapy.
In a video interview at the International Stroke Conference, Dr. Bijoy Menon of the department of clinical neurosciences at the University of Calgary (Alta.), who presented the findings at the conference, discussed this apparent clinical paradox.
The video associated with this article is no longer available on this site. Please view all of our videos on the MDedge YouTube channel.
Dr. Menon’s study echoes findings of the landmark Endovascular Treatment for Small Core and Proximal Occlusion Ischemic Stroke (ESCAPE) trial, which found dramatically improved stroke outcomes after endovascular therapy.
But the benefits of such treatment should never outweigh the need for thoroughly screening patients and carefully considering their recovery prospects, Dr. Michael Hill, professor of neurology at the University of Calgary and primary investigator on the ESCAPE study, cautioned in another video interview at the meeting.
The video associated with this article is no longer available on this site. Please view all of our videos on the MDedge YouTube channel.
On Twitter @alz_gal