title: Endovascular stroke therapy in Austria: a nationwide 1-year experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Based on a tight network of stroke units (SUs) and interventional centres, endovascular treatment of acute major intracranial vessel occlusion has been widely implemented in Austria. Documentation of all patients in the nationwide SU registry has thereby become mandatory.
  
  
  METHODS
  Demographic, clinical and interventional characteristics of patients who underwent endovascular treatment for acute ischaemic stroke in 11 Austrian interventional centres between 1 October 2013 and 30 September 2014 were analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 301 patients (50.5% women; median age 70.5 years; median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score 17) were identified.193 patients (64.1%) additionally received intravenous thrombolysis. The most frequent vessel occlusion sites were the M1 segment of the middle cerebral artery (n = 161, 53.5%), the intracranial internal carotid artery (n = 60, 19.9%) and the basilar artery (n = 40, 13.3%). Stent retrievers were used in 235 patients (78.1%) and adequate reperfusion (modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction scores 2b and 3, median onset to reperfusion time 254 min) was achieved in 242 patients (81.4%). Symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage occurred in 7%. 43.8% of patients (n = 132) had good functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale score 0-2) and the mortality rate was 20.9% (n = 63) after 3 months. Compared to the anterior circulation, vertebrobasilar stroke patients had higher mortality. Patients with secondary hospital transportation had better outcomes after 3 months than in-house treated patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results document nationwide favourable outcome and safety rates of endovascular stroke treatment comparable to recent randomized trials. The ability to provide such data and the need to further optimize such an approach also underscore the contribution of respective registries.
authors: Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors: W
authors: W
authors: Serles
authors: Department of Neurology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Gattringer
authors: Department of Neurology, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Mutzenbach
authors: Danube University Krems and Gesundheit Österreich GmbH/BIQG, Vienna, Austria.
authors: L
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8865-3871
authors: L
authors: Seyfang
authors: Department of Neuroradiology, Wagner-Jauregg Hospital, Linz, Austria.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Trenkler
authors: Department of Neurology, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.|Research Institute of Neurointervention, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Killer-Oberpfalzer
authors: Division of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Deutschmann
authors: Department of Neurology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Niederkorn
authors: Department of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Wolf
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Gruber
authors: Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Klinikum Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt, Austria.
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Hausegger
authors: Department of Neurology, Klinikum Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt, Austria.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Weber
authors: Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Krankenhaus Barmherzige Brüder, Vienna, Austria.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Thurnher
authors: Department of Neuroradiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Gizewski
authors: Department of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Willeit
authors: Department of Radiology, Krankenanstalt Rudolfstiftung, Vienna, Austria.
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Karaic
authors: Department of Neurology, Krankenanstalt Rudolfstiftung, Vienna, Austria.
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Fertl
authors: Department of Radiology, University Clinic Tulln, Tulln, Austria.
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Našel
authors: Department of Neurology, University Clinic Tulln, Tulln, Austria.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Brainin
authors: Institute of Medical Radiology, University Clinic St Pölten, St Pölten, Austria.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Erian
authors: Department of Neurology, University Clinic St Pölten, St Pölten, Austria.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Oberndorfer
authors: Department of Radiology, Kaiser Franz Josef Hospital Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Karnel
authors: Department of Neurology, Kaiser Franz Josef Hospital Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors: W
authors: W
authors: Grisold
authors: Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Auff
authors: Department of Neurology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Fazekas
authors: Department of Neurology, Wagner-Jauregg Hospital, Linz, Austria.
authors: H-P
authors: HP
authors: Haring
authors: Department of Neurology, Krankenhaus Barmherzige Brüder, Vienna, Austria.
authors: W
authors: W
authors: Lang
mesh_terms: D061605:Administration, Intravenous; D000368:Aged; D001317:Austria; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D057510:Endovascular Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012042:Registries; D015607:Stents; D020521:Stroke / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D017131:Thrombectomy / Q000379:methods*; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States
keywords: acute stroke therapy; endovascular stroke treatment; ischaemic stroke; major intracranial vessel occlusion; mechanical thrombectomy; stroke units