Is general anesthesia or conscious sedation more appropriate for patients undergoing endovascular clot retrieval for acute ischemic stroke?

Abstract

A 68-year-old man with history significant for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and chronic lower back pain presents to the emergency department (ED) with hemiplegia of his left leg. An emergent head computed tomography (CT) scan reveals an anterior cerebral artery occlusion. The patient is brought to the interventional radiology suite for a cerebral angiogram and intra-arterial recanalization. The patient is alert and oriented, comfortable, with a benign airway examination. His last meal was 9 h prior to the procedure.