Acute basilar artery occlusion in the Basilar Artery International Cooperation Study: does gender matter?
OBJECTIVE
Randomized trials suggested a different benefit of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and intra-arterial thrombolysis (IAT) between men and women with anterior circulation stroke because of a worse outcome of women in the control group.


METHODS
We compared outcome and recanalization in men and women with basilar artery occlusion treated with antithrombotic treatment alone, IVT or combined IVT-IAT, or IAT in the Basilar Artery International Cooperation Study.


RESULTS
Overall, 389 male and 226 female patients were analyzed. In the antithrombotic treatment group, 68 of 111 (61%) men and 47 of 70 (67%) women had a poor outcome defined as a modified Rankin Scale score of 4 to 6 (adjusted risk ratio [aRR], 0.96; 95% CI, 0.75 to 1.24), in the IVT/combined IVT-IAT group, 47 of 77 (61%) men and 24 of 43 (56%) women (aRR, 1.19; 95% CI, 0.89 to 1.60), and in the IAT group, 142 of 185 (77%) men and 71 of 102 (70%) women (aRR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.88 to 1.17). Mortality was not different between men and women in the antithrombotic treatment group (aRR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.55 to 1.16), the IVT/combined IVT-IAT group (aRR, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.72 to 1.73), or in the IAT group (aRR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.75 to 1.36). Insufficient recanalization after combined IVT-IAT or IAT was similar in men and women (23% versus 22%; aRR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.58 to 1.46).


CONCLUSIONS
In patients with acute basilar artery occlusion, no significant gender differences for outcome and recanalization were observed, regardless of treatment modality.
Arnold
Marcel
M
Department of Neurology, University Hospital Bern, Inselspital, Freiburgstrasse, 3010 Bern, Switzerland. marcel.arnold@insel.ch
Fischer
Urs
U
Compter
Annette
A
Gralla
Jan
J
Findling
Oliver
O
Mattle
Heinrich P
HP
Kappelle
L Jaap
LJ
Tanne
David
D
Algra
Ale
A
Schonewille
Wouter J
WJ
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007269:Injections, Intra-Arterial; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012042:Registries; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D015996:Survival Rate; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014715:Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality
D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents