Background: Endovascular treatment (ET) is standard of care in patients with acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion, but data on ET in young patients remain limited. Aim: To compare outcomes for young stroke patients undergoing ET in a matched cohort. Methods: We analyzed patients from an observational multicenter cohort with acute ischemic stroke and endovascular treatment, the German Stroke Registry – Endovascular Treatment trial. Baseline characteristics, procedural parameters and functional outcome at 90 days were compared between young (<50 years) and older (≥50 years) patients with and without nearest-neighbour 1:1 propensity score matching. Results: Out of 6628 acute ischemic stroke patients treated with ET, 363 (5.5%) were young. Young patients differed with regard to prognostic outcome characteristics. Specifically, NIHSS at admission was lower (median 13, interquartile range [IQR] 8-17 vs. 15, IQR 9-19, p<0.001) and prestroke dependence was less frequent (2.9 vs 12.2%, p<0.001) than in older patients. Compared to a matched cohort of older patients, ET was faster (time from groin puncture to flow restoration, 35 vs. 45 min, p<0.001) and intracranial hemorrhage was less frequent in young patients (10.0 vs 25.9%, p<0.001). Good functional outcome (mRS 0-2) at 3 months was achieved more frequently in young patients (71.6% vs. 44.1%, p<0.001), and overall mortality was lower (6.7 vs. 25.4%, p<0.001). Among previously employed young patients (n=177), 37.9% returned to work at 3-month follow-up, while 74.1% of the remaining patients were still undergoing rehabilitation. Conclusion: Young stroke patients undergoing ET have better outcomes compared to older patients, even when matched for prestroke condition, comorbidities and stroke severity. Hence, more liberal guidelines to perform ET for younger patients may have to be established by future studies.

Purpose Intravenous thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy (MT) are standard of care in patients with acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion. Data on MT in patients with intracranial hemorrhage prior to intervention is limited to anecdotal reports, as these patients were excluded from thrombectomy trials. Methods We analyzed patients from an observational multicenter cohort with acute ischemic stroke and endovascular treatment, the German Stroke Registry—Endovascular Treatment trial, with intracranial hemorrhage before MT. Baseline characteristics, procedural parameters and functional outcome at 90 days were analyzed and compared to a propensity score matched cohort. Results Out of 6635 patients, we identified 32 patients (0.5%) with acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion and preinterventional intracranial hemorrhage who underwent MT. Risk factors of intracranial hemorrhage were head trauma, oral anticoagulation and intravenous thrombolysis. Overall mortality was high (50%) but among patients with a premorbid modified Rankin scale (mRS) of 0–2 (n = 15), good clinical outcome (mRS 0–2) at 90 days was achieved in 40% of patients. Periprocedural and outcome results did not differ between patients with and without preinterventional intracranial hemorrhage. Conclusion Preinterventional intracranial hemorrhage in acute ischemic stroke patients with large vessel occlusion is rare. The use of MT is technically feasible and a substantial number of patients achieve good clinical outcome, indicating that MT should not be withheld in patients with preinterventional intracranial hemorrhage.

Purpose Endovascular treatment (ET) in patients with large vessel occlusion stroke (LVOS) with unknown onset or an extended time window can be safe and effective if patients are selected by defined clinical and imaging criteria; however, it is unclear if these criteria should also be applied to patients with unknown onset and unknown time last known well. In this study, we aimed to assess whether absent information on the time patients were last known to be well impacts outcome in patients with unknown onset LVOS. Methods We analyzed patients who were enrolled in the German Stroke Registry-Endovascular Treatment between 2015 and 2019. Patients with unknown onset and unknown time last known well (LKWu) were compared to patients with known onset (KO) and to patients with unknown onset but known time last known well (LKWk) regarding clinical and imaging baseline characteristics and outcome. Results Out of 5909 patients, 561 presented with LKWu (9.5%), 1849 with LKWk (31.3%) and 3499 with KO (59.2%). At 90 days, functional independency was less frequent in LKWu (27.0%) compared to KO (42.6%) and LKWk patients (31.8%). These differences were not significant after adjusting for confounders. A main confounder was the initial Alberta stroke program early CT score. Conclusion The LKWu patients had a similar outcome after ET as KO and LKWk patients after adjusting for confounders. Thus, ET should not be withheld if the time last known well is unknown. Instead, LKWu patients may be selected for ET using the same criteria as in LKWk patients.

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Background Oral anticoagulation (OAC) is the mainstay of secondary prevention in ischemic stroke patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, in AF patients with large vessel occlusion stroke treated by endovascular therapy (ET) and acute carotid artery stenting (CAS), the optimal antithrombotic medication remains unclear. Methods This is a subgroup analysis of the German Stroke Registry—Endovascular Treatment (GSR-ET), a prospective multicenter cohort of patients with large vessel occlusion stroke undergoing ET. Patients with AF and CAS during ET were included. We analyzed baseline and periprocedural characteristics, antithrombotic strategies and functional outcome at 90 days. Results Among 6635 patients in the registry, a total of 82 patients (1.2%, age 77.9 ± 8.0 years, 39% female) with AF and extracranial CAS during ET were included. Antithrombotic medication at admission, during ET, postprocedural and at discharge was highly variable and overall mortality in hospital (21%) and at 90 days (39%) was high. Among discharged patients (n = 65), most frequent antithrombotic regimes were dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT, 37%), single APT + OAC (25%) and DAPT + OAC (20%). Comparing DAPT to single or dual APT + OAC, clinical characteristics at discharge were similar (median NIHSS 7.5 [interquartile range, 3–10.5] vs 7 [4–11], p = 0.73, mRS 4 [IQR 3–4] vs. 4 [IQR 3–5], p = 0.79), but 90-day mortality was higher without OAC (32 vs 4%, p = 0.02). Conclusions In AF patients who underwent ET and CAS, 90-day mortality was higher in patients not receiving OAC. Registration: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03356392.