Endovascular Treatment of Acute Large Vessel Occlusion in the Anterior and Posterior Circulation

Endovascular treatment (EVT) has been strongly recommended as a first-line treatment for acute ischemic strokes (AIS) caused by large vessel occlusion (LVO). To evaluate the efficacy, safety, and predictors of favorable outcomes of EVT for LVO-caused AIS in both the anterior and posterior circulations, consecutive patients who had undergone EVT for AISs caused by LVO were retrospectively enrolled, and the clinical data, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH), modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score, and mortality at 90 days were analyzed. In total, 231 patients were enrolled with a mean age of 63.25 ± 11.48 years, including 167 (72.29%) patients with anterior circulation occlusion (ACO) and 64 (27.71%) patients with posterior circulation occlusion (PCO) treated with EVT. The median baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) Score on admission was 17 (12-20). The median time from symptom onset to recanalization (OTR) was 380 (307.5-461) minutes. Successful recanalization was achieved in 90.04% of patients. At 3-month follow-up, 118 (51.08%) patients had favorable clinical outcomes (mRS 0-2), with a mortality rate of 18.61% (43/231). Younger age (p = 0.001), a lower baseline NIHSS score (p < 0.001), a higher recanalization rate (p = 0.018), and shorter OTR time (p = 0.026) were significant independent risk factors for favorable outcomes. Compared to patients with ACO, PCO patients had a lower favorable outcome rate (p = 0.049) and a higher mortality rate (p < 0.001). In conclusion, EVT is safe and effective for patients with LVO-caused AIS, and younger age, lower baseline NIHSS scores, a higher recanalization rate, and shorter OTR time are independent risk factors for favorable outcomes. PCO patients may have worse clinical outcomes and a higher mortality rate than ACO patients.