Minor Stroke Therapy Evaluation

Stroke represents the fourth leading cause of death in industrialized nations, after heart disease, cancer, and chronic lower respiratory disease. Approximately one-quarter of the patients suffering a stroke die within one year after the initial event and stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability. Although mechanical thrombectomy (MT) has become the standard of care for acute ischemic stroke with proximal large vessel occlusion (LVO) in the anterior circulation, the management of patients harboring proximal occlusion but presenting minor-to-mild stroke symptoms, has not yet been determined by these recent randomized clinical trials. However, patients with proximal occlusions may present with a low NIHSS, a proximal intraarterial occlusion being present in up to 28% when considering patients with an NIHSS ≤ 4. The evidence of benefit from endovascular therapy (EVT) in large vessel occlusion stroke is demonstrated, STAIR IX (Stroke Treatment Academic Industry Roundtable) consensus recommendations were developed that outline priorities for future research in EVT.