title: Mechanical endovascular thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke: a retrospective multicenter study in Belgium.
abstract: Clinical trials have shown a beneficial effect of mechanical thrombectomy in acute ischemic stroke patients treated within six up to even 12 h after symptom onset. This treatment was already performed in selected hospitals in Belgium before completion of the randomized controlled trials. Outcome data on these procedures in Belgium have not been published. We performed a retrospective multicenter study of all patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with mechanical endovascular therapy in four hospitals in Belgium. Clinical outcomes, as measured by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), site of arterial occlusion, reperfusion and the association between these variables were studied. The study included 80 patients: 65 patients with an occlusion in the anterior circulation and 15 with an occlusion in the posterior circulation. Good functional outcome (GFO) rates, defined as mRS 0-2 at 90 days, were 42 % in all patients, 44 % in anterior circulation stroke and 34 % in posterior circulation stroke. Reperfusion was achieved in 78 % of patients; more (100 %) in patients with posterior compared to patients with anterior circulation stroke (72 %; p = 0.02). The rate of GFO was greater in patients with reperfusion versus patients in whom reperfusion was not achieved (adjusted OR 8.2, 95 % CI 2.0-34.2). Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage was documented in 5 % of all patients. Endovascular treatment with mechanical devices for acute ischemic stroke in Belgium results in GFO and reperfusion rates similar to recently published results in the endovascular-treated arms of randomized clinical trials. Rates of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage are low and comparable to other cohort studies and clinical trials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fockaert
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Gent, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Marieke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coninckx
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospitals Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Sam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heye
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, University Hospitals Gent, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Defreyne
authors.affiliation: Department of Interventional Neuroradiology, Centre Hospitalier Chrétien, 4000, Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brisbois
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroradiology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Goffette
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gralla
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mordasini
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Université catholique de Louvain, 1200, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Andre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peeters
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Centre Hospitalier Chrétien, 4000, Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Desfontaines
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Gent, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Dimitri
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hemelsoet
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.|Department of Neurosciences, Experimental Neurology and Leuven Research Institute for Neuroscience and Disease (LIND), KU Leuven, University of Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.|VIB, Vesalius Research Center, Laboratory of Neurobiology, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Thijs
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium. robin.lemmens@uzleuven.be.|Department of Neurosciences, Experimental Neurology and Leuven Research Institute for Neuroscience and Disease (LIND), KU Leuven, University of Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium. robin.lemmens@uzleuven.be.|VIB, Vesalius Research Center, Laboratory of Neurobiology, 3000, Leuven, Belgium. robin.lemmens@uzleuven.be.
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lemmens
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001530:Belgium; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059906:Neuroimaging; D015424:Reperfusion / Q000379:methods; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D017131:Thrombectomy / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Endovascular; Ischemic stroke; Outcome; Reperfusion; Thrombectomy