Radial Versus Femoral Access For Thrombectomy in Patients With Acute Basilar Artery Occlusion

Stroke is one of the most important diseases endangering the health and quality of life of Chinese people. Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is commonly caused by cerebrovascular stenosis or occlusion. The most effective treatment for AIS is timely and successful angiographic reperfusion. Due to the large diameter and obvious positioning of bilateral femoral arteries, the transfemoral artery (TFA) using Seldinger's technique has been the most commonly used approach for endovascular treatment. However, recent studies have suggested that the radial artery is an ideal puncture site for cerebrovascular intervention. Small sample studies have confirmed that endovascular recanalization for acute anterior circulation large vessel occlusion via TRA has been safe and effective. Still, there are some complex approaches needed to be converted to TFA. There has been no difference in total operation duration and fluoroscopy time between TRA and TFA, but the TRA group had higher radiation dose and shorter hospital stays than the TFA group. In addition, TRA tends to be more convenient than TFA, especially for posterior circulation lesions. However, the current studies are based on a single center with a small sample size, and there has been still a lack of large-sample randomized controlled experiments to verify the safety and effectiveness of posterior endovascular recanalization via TRA.