Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke: Considerations from Recent Randomized Trials

Abstract

Background: Despite increasing use of intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator therapy, the large number of patients ineligible for treatment or for whom treatment is ineffective has become problematic. Summary: The number of endovascular treatments for acute ischemic stroke is increasing each year. This treatment provides higher recanalization rates for occluded vessels but may lead to hemorrhagic complications such as subarachnoid hemorrhage. Results were announced for three randomized controlled trials in 2013, with all failing to show the superiority of endovascular treatment. These results have had a major negative impact, but a new randomized controlled trial, the Multicenter Randomized CLinical trial of Endovascular treatment for Acute ischemic stroke in the Netherlands (MR CLEAN), showed that acute endovascular treatment was superior to standard medical treatment in terms of clinical outcomes. With this positive result, interim analyses from other randomized trials appear likely to show the effectiveness of endovascular treatment. Key Message: Clinical evidence of acute stroke intervention using mechanical devices might be established in the near future.