Reassessing EC-IC bypass for symptomatic ICA and MCA occlusion: a single-centre study highlighting low perioperative risk and surgical expertise

Under expert surgical technique with optimised perioperative protocols, EC-IC bypass achieves exceptional safety profiles with complication rates substantially lower than previous major trials. The dramatic reduction from the historical 15% to 0.8% perioperative stroke rates demonstrates that surgical excellence and protocol optimisation can transform outcomes in cerebral revascularisation. These findings suggest that the poor results in previous trials may reflect technical and management factors rather than fundamental procedure limitations, warranting reconsideration of EC-IC bypass for carefully selected patients, particularly those with CMCAO.