Rapid Systematic Review: Intra-Arterial Thrombectomy (“Clot Retrieval”) for Selected Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. However, precisely defining the optimal treatment for individual patients early after AIS onset remains elusive. There has recently been a surge in published studies documenting the effectiveness of mechanical intra-arterial thrombectomy for treatment of a subset of patients with AIS. This therapy has been proposed and studied for the small (<1.2%) subgroup of patients with ischemic strokes who have “large vessel” strokes or strokes that fail to improve after the administration of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA). The current rapid systematic review provides practicing emergency physicians updated information regarding mechanical thrombectomy as a treatment option for carefully selected AIS patients. Methods A PubMed literature search was conducted from January 1996 to June 2016 and limited to human clinical trials written in English with relevant keywords. High-quality randomized controlled studies identified then underwent a structured review. Results In total, 179 papers fulfilling the search criteria were screened and 8 appropriate articles were rigorously reviewed in detail and recommendations given on the effectiveness and indication of mechanical intra-arterial thrombectomy for the treatment of AIS. Conclusions Mechanical intra-arterial thrombectomy reduces long-term disability in a properly selected subset of patients who have an AIS caused by large vessel occlusion. Many of these patients will have failed to improve after intravenous administration of t-PA, and mortality is not increased when combined with t-PA. Careful screening criteria should be in place to identify the limited subset of patients to whom this therapy is delivered to derive optimal treatment benefits.