Objectives: The study purpose is to evaluate the clinical outcomes of mechanical thrombectomy
in acute stroke management regardless the administration of intravenous or intra-arterial
tissue plasminogen activator. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of the patients from 2014 to 2019 at
our single center in Dubai, UAE. A total of 150 patients who underwent mechanical
thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke were identified. The mechanical thrombectomy
was performed within 6 h after the onset of stroke symptoms. Both stent retriever
and/or thrombus aspiration techniques were used. Patients who have been treated with
or without intravenous or intra-arterial alteplase were included also. All patients
were confirmed to have proximal anterior circulation occlusion. Patients with large
infarct on neuroimaging (ASPECT score 6 or more) were excluded from the study. The
primary endpoint was to assess the severity of clinical disability at 72 h and at
the time of discharge using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score and
modified Rankin scale. Results: This is an ongoing study with preliminary results showing that mechanical thrombectomy
reduced the severity of disability over the range of the National Institutes of Health
Stroke Scale score and modified Rankin scale. Conclusion: Mechanical thrombectomy has reduced the severity of poststroke disability and increased
the rate of functional independence.
