December 13, 2024- Endovascular therapy, or EVT, – a minimally invasive surgery performed inside the blood vessels – is 2 ½ times more likely than standard medical management to achieve a positive outcome after vertebrobasilar stroke that affects the back of the brain, including the brain stem. A meta-analysis of four randomized clinical trials, published in The Lancet, was led by UPMC Stroke Institute director Raul Nogueira, M.D.
Investigators from the U.S., Netherlands and China formed a multi-center collaboration of all four randomized trials of EVT in vertebrobasilar occlusion with data that provides the strongest evidence to date of the benefits of EVT over alternative approaches for complicated vessel obstructions in life-sustaining areas of the brain.
Meta-analysis showed that at three months after the surgery, despite higher rates of brain bleeds with the procedure, EVT significantly reduced patient mortality and overall post-stroke disability, increasing patients’ functional independence. Notably, patients who underwent EVT were nearly 2 ½ times more likely to regain their ability to walk independently compared to patients who received the current medical standard of care, including intravenous thrombolytics.