pEVT May Be Better Option in Patients With LVO, Low NIHSS Score

Background: Large vessel occlusion (LVO) with a low National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, mild stroke, is not uncommon. Unfortunately, 40% of patients with mild stroke have early neurologic decline (END) and poor clinical outcomes; this is most relevant to patients with more proximal vessel occlusion. Although endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) has developed greatly over the years, the role of EVT for LVO with mild stroke remains controversial. Where some studies favor EVT for mild stroke, others feel it is not beneficial and even more harmful to patients due to complication rates. Given the advancement in EVT with a decrease in complication rate, this study attempted to provide an updated evaluation of the efficacy of primary EVT (pEVT) versus rescue EVT (rEVT) for patients with mild stroke secondary to LVO. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of primary EVT versus best medical management (BMM) with or without rEVT for mild stroke with LVO. Design: Multic more...