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Background: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) has become the cornerstone of acute ischaemic stroke management in patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO). The aim of this guideline document is to assist physicians in their clinical decisions with regard to MT. Methods: These Guidelines were developed based on the standard operating procedure of the European Stroke Organisation and followed the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. An interdisciplinary working group identified 15 relevant questions, performed systematic reviews and meta-analyses of the literature, assessed the quality of the available evidence, and wrote evidence based recommendations. Expert opinion was provided if not enough evidence was available to provide recommendations based on the GRADE approach. Results: We found high quality evidence to recommend MT plus best medical management (BMM, including intravenous thrombolysis whenever indicated) to improve functional outcome in patients with LVO-related acute ischaemic stroke within 6 hours after symptom onset. We found moderate quality of evidence to recommend MT plus BMM in the 6-24h time window in patients meeting the eligibility criteria of published randomized trials. These guidelines further detail

Background: There is limited information about predictors of outcome and recurrence of ischaemic stroke affecting young adults. Objective: To assess the predictive value of the presenting characteristics for both outcome and recurrence in young stroke victims. Methods: Clinical and radiological data for 203 patients aged 16 to 45 years were collected prospectively; they comprised 11% of 1809 consecutive patients with ischaemic stroke. The National Institutes of Health stroke scale (NIHSS), the Bamford criteria, and the trial of ORG 10172 in acute stroke treatment (TOAST) classification were used to define stroke severity, subtype, and aetiology. The clinical outcome of 198 patients (98%) was assessed using the modified Rankin scale (mRS) and categorised as favourable (score 0-1) or unfavourable (score 2-6). Results: Stroke was caused by atherosclerotic large artery disease in 4%, cardioembolism in 24%, small vessel disease in 9%, another determined aetiology in 30%, and undetermined aetiology in 33%. Clinical outcome at three months was favourable in 68%, unfavourable in 29%, and lethal in 3%. Thirteen non-fatal stroke, two fatal strokes, and six transient ischaemic attacks (TIA) occurred during a mean (SD) follow up of 26 (17) months. High NIHSS score, total anterior circulation stroke, and diabetes mellitus were independent predictors of unfavourable outcome or death (p,0.0001, p = 0.011, and p = 0.023). History of TIA predicted stroke recurrence (p = 0.02). Conclusions: Severe neurological deficits at presentation, total anterior circulation stroke, and diabetes mellitus predict unfavourable outcome. Previous TIA are associated with increased risk of recurrence.