Endovascular Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke Due to Intracranial Atherosclerotic Large Vessel Occlusion

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of endovascular treatment (ET) of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) caused by intracranial atherosclerotic large vessel occlusion (ICAS-LVO). Methods: A systemic review and meta-analysis were conducted on studies published between July 2005 and October 2018 on the outcomes of ET in patients with AIS due to ICAS-LVO. The outcomes of the ICAS-LVO and embolic LVO groups were also compared. Results: A total of 17 studies including 1315 subjects with ICAS-LVO were included. In the single-arm meta-analysis, the pooled estimates of successful recanalization rate, favorable outcomes, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage and mortality were 88% (95% CI (95% confidence interval), 84-92%), 52% (95% CI, 47-56%), 5% (95% CI, 3-7%) and 15% (95% CI, 12-19%) respectively. The preferred primary treatment was stent-retriever thrombectomy (84.1%) and the preferred rescue treatment was stent implantation with or without percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA, 32.7%). In the double-arm meta-analysis, the incidence of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage was lower in the ICAS-LVO compared to the embolic-LVO group (OR (odds ratio) = 0.60, 95% CI, 0.46-0.77, p < 0.01), whereas the implementation of rescue treatment (OR = 5.94, 95% CI, 3.15-11.19, p < 0.01) and stenting rate (OR = 10.06, 95%CI, 4.43-22.85, p < 0.01) were higher in the ICAS-LVO group. Other parameters were similar in both groups. Conclusion: The use of ET is a safe and effective therapeutic option for AIS due to ICAS-LVO. Stent-retriever thrombectomy and stent-implement are the preferred primary and rescue therapies respectively for ICAS-LVO. Less symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage and higher stenting were observed in the ICAS-LVO compared to the embolic-LVO group.