Twelve-Month Clinical and Quality-of-Life Outcomes in the Interventional Management of Stroke III Trial

Cost and Utility Estimates per Modified Rankin Scale Score up to 2 Years Post Stroke: Data to Inform Economic Evaluations From a Societal Perspective

OBJECTIVES

Model-based health economic evaluations of ischemic stroke are in need of cost- and utility estimates related to relevant outcome measures. This study aims to describe societal cost- and utility estimates per modified Rankin Scale (mRS)-score at different time points within 2 years post stroke.

METHODS

Included patients had a stroke between 3 months and 2.5 years ago. mRS and EQ-5D-5L were scored during a telephone interview. Based on the interview date, records were categorized into a time point: 3 months (3M; 3-6 months), 1 year (Y1; 6-18 months), or 2 years (Y2; 18-30 months). Patients completed a questionnaire on healthcare utilization and productivity losses in the previous 3 months. Initial stroke hospitalization costs were assessed. Mean costs and utilities per mRS and time point were derived with multiple imputation nested in bootstrapping. Cost at 3 months post stroke were estimated separately for endovascular treatment (EVT)-/non-EVT-patients.

RESULTS

1106 patients were included from 18 Dutch centers. At each time point, higher mRS-scores were associated with increasing average costs and decreasing average utility. Mean societal costs at 3M ranged from €11 943 (mRS 1, no EVT) to €55 957 (mRS 5, no EVT). For Y1, mean costs in the previous 3 months ranged from €885 (mRS 0) to €23 215 (mRS 5), and from €1655 (mRS 0) to €22 904 (mRS 5) for Y2. Mean utilities ranged from 0.07 to 0.96, depending on mRS and time point.

CONCLUSIONS

The mRS-score is a major determinant of costs and utilities at different post-stroke time points. Our estimates may be used to inform future model-based health economic evaluations.

Risk factors for stroke-related functional disability and mortality at Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND

Stroke is one of the top causes of functional disability around the world. The main objective was to identify stroke-related functional outcomes and risk factors. A good functional outcome is defined as the absence of problems secondary to the stroke event, a poor functional outcome as the presence of complications, and mortality as the existence of complications.

METHOD

A retrospective cohort analysis was used to observe factors in 298 eligible adult (18 or older) stroke patients who attend outpatient clinics every three months at Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital between September 2019 and August 2021 to predict outcomes.

RESULT

The likelihood of dying from a poor outcome was 9%, and the likelihood of recovering was 24%. The average time spent on good and poor outcomes for different levels of independent variables varies according to their risk. During the first three years of follow-up, the instantaneous risk with a 95% confidence interval of transitioning from good to poor outcome in the women, aged 60 or older, with hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and hemorrhage stroke versus men stroke patients, aged 18 to 59, without hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and ischemic stroke were 1.54 (1.10, 2.15), 1.73 (1.19, 2.52), 2.34 (1.55, 3.53), 2.74 (1.64, 4.56), and 1.52 (1.10, 2.19) respectively. The hazard ratio of transitioning from poor outcome to death for patients with diabetes mellitus and atrial fibrillation versus those without diabetes mellitus and atrial fibrillation was estimated to be 1.95 (1.10, 3.46) and 3.39 (1.67, 6.89), respectively.

CONCLUSION

Women over 60 with hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and hemorrhagic stroke were more likely to progress from a good to a poor outcome. Diabetes and atrial fibrillation were also risk factors for progressing from a poor outcome to death. The states and transitions, as well as a clinical control of the hazards for the transition through states, should improve the physician's decision-making process. Since gender and age are difficult to control, early intervention by patients and the hospital may be critical in influencing functional outcomes.

Endovascular Treatment plus Medical Treatment versus Medical Treatment Alone in Ischemic Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

INTRODUCTION

This study was conducted to assess the hypothesis that endovascular treatment in addition to medical treatment improve stroke mortality and post-stroke disability.

METHODS

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the studies were included if they were randomized controlled trials in design and compared between endovascular treatment and medical therapy versus medical therapy alone in stroke management.

RESULTS

The search yielded 22 articles that included 5,049 patients. The analysis showed significant association between the intervention and reduction in disability measured by Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) (mRS = 0-2) (odds ratio [OR] = 1.61; 95% confidence intervals [95% CI]: 1.27-2.06) and National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) (NIHSS = 0-15) (OR = 2.13; 95% CI: 1.04-4.34). Also, we found a significant difference in disability scores between the intervention and the medical therapy group (mRS weighted mean difference [WMD] = -0.59; 95% CI: -1.15 to -0.02, NIHSS WMD = -4.52; 95% CI: -6.32 to -2.72). Additionally, there was significant reduction in mortality in the intervention group (OR = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.68-0.92). There was no significant difference in the rate of any serious adverse effects between the two study groups except for asymptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage.

CONCLUSION

Our study provides strong evidence stemmed from randomized clinical trials that endovascular treatment combined with medical therapy is superior to medical therapy alone in the management of stroke.

The Charlotte Large Artery Occlusion Endovascular Therapy Outcome Score Predicts Poor Outcomes 1 Year After Endovascular Thrombectomy

OBJECTIVE

We evaluated the ability of several outcome prognostic scales to predict poor 1-year outcomes and mortality after endovascular thrombectomy.

METHODS

In this retrospective analysis from the stroke registry of a large integrated health system, consecutive patients presenting from August 2020 to September 2021 with an anterior circulation large-vessel occlusion stroke treated with endovascular thrombectomy were included. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine the ability of each scale to predict the primary outcome (1-year modified Rankin Scale [mRS] score of 4-6) and the secondary outcome (1-year mortality). Area under the curve analyses were performed for each scale.

RESULTS

In 237 included patients (mean age 68 [±15] years; median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score 16 [11-21]), poor 1-year outcomes were present in 116 patients (49%) and 1-year mortality was 34%. The CLEOS (Charlotte Large Artery Occlusion Endovascular Therapy Outcome Score), which incorporates age, baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, initial glucose level, and computed tomography perfusion cerebral blood volume index, had a significant association with poor 1-year outcomes (per 25-point increase; odds ratio, 1.0134; P = 0.02). CLEOS and PRE (Pittsburgh Response to Endovascular Therapy) were both significantly associated with 1-year mortality. Area under the curve values were comparable for CLEOS, PRE, Houston Intra-Arterial Therapy 2, and Totaled Health Risks in Vascular Events to predict 1-year mRS score 4-6 and mortality. Only 1 of 18 patients with CLEOS ≥690 had a 1-year mRS score of 0-3.

CONCLUSIONS

CLEOS can predict poor 1-year outcomes and mortality for patients with anterior circulation large-vessel occlusion using prethrombectomy variables.

Repeated Measures of Modified Rankin Scale Scores to Assess Functional Recovery From Stroke: AFFINITY Study Findings

Background

Function after acute stroke using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) is usually assessed at a point in time. The analytical implications of serial mRS measurements to evaluate functional recovery over time is not completely understood. We compare repeated‐measures and single‐measure analyses of the mRS from a randomized clinical trial.

Methods and Results

Serial mRS data from AFFINITY (Assessment of Fluoxetine in Stroke Recovery), a double‐blind placebo randomized clinical trial of fluoxetine following stroke (n=1280) were analyzed to identify demographic and clinical associations with functional recovery (reduction in mRS) over 12 months. Associations were identified using single‐measure (day 365) and repeated‐measures (days 28, 90, 180, and 365) partial proportional odds logistic regression. Ninety‐five percent of participants experienced a reduction in mRS after 12 months. Functional recovery was associated with age at stroke <70 years; no prestroke history of diabetes, coronary heart disease, or ischemic stroke; prestroke history of depression, a relationship partner, living with others, independence, or paid employment; no fluoxetine intervention; ischemic stroke (compared with hemorrhagic); stroke treatment in Vietnam (compared with Australia or New Zealand); longer time since current stroke; and lower baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale & Patient Health Questionnaire‐9 scores. Direction of associations was largely concordant between single‐measure and repeated‐measures models. Association strength and variance was generally smaller in the repeated‐measures model compared with the single‐measure model.

Conclusions

Repeated‐measures may improve trial precision in identifying trial associations and effects. Further repeated‐measures stroke analyses are required to prove methodological value.

Registration

URL: http://www.anzctr.org.au; Unique identifier: ACTRN12611000774921.

Five-Year Outcomes After Endovascular Treatment for Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke

Background

The long-term outcomes of acute large vessel occlusion (LVO) in anterior circulation treated by endovascular treatment (EVT) remains to be determined. The aim of this study was to assess the 5-year outcomes of patients with LVO who underwent EVT.

Methods

This study was an observational, nationwide registry of consecutive patients with acute LVO who received EVT in 28 comprehensive stroke centers in China. The primary outcome was the proportion of favorable outcome [modified Rankin Scale score (mRS) 0–2] at 5 years. Secondary outcomes included proportions of patients with excellent outcome (mRS 0–1), all-cause mortality and risk of stroke recurrence at 5 years.

Results

A total of 807 patients were included into the study and had 90-day follow-up data, 657 patients had 5-year follow-up data. At 90 days, 218 patients (27.0%) had an excellent outcome, 349 patients (43.2%) had a favorable functional outcome. 199 patients (24.7%) died. At 5 years, 190 patients (28.9%) had an excellent outcome, 261 patients (39.7%) had a favorable functional outcome, 317 patients (48.2%) died and 129 (28.2%) had stroke recurrence. Because of missing 5-year follow-up data, among available 269 patients who achieved functional independence at 90 days, 208 (77.3%) maintained favorable outcome, 19 (7.1%) had disability (mRS 3–5) and 42 (15.6%) died at 5 years. Furthermore, among available 189 patients with mRS 3–5 at 90 days, 53 (28.0%) patients achieved favorable functional outcome, 60 (31.7%) patients maintained unfavorable functional outcome and 76 (40.2%) patients died within 5 years. Multivariate analyses identified that younger age [odds ratio (OR): 0.96; 95% CI, 0.93–0.99; P = 0.009], lower mRS at 90 days (OR: 0.15; 95% CI, 0.10–0.23; P < 0.001) and absence of stroke recurrence (OR: 0.001; 95% CI, 0.000–0.006; P < 0.001) were significantly associated with favorable outcome at 5 years. Advanced age (OR: 1.06, 95% CI, 1.04–1.08; P < 0.001), higher mRS at 90 days (OR: 0.84; 95% CI, 0.73–0.98; P = 0.021) and atrial fibrillation (OR: 1.63; 95% CI, 1.02–2.60; P = 0.04) were independent factors for stroke recurrence.

Conclusion

Our results indicated that the beneficial effect of EVT in patients with acute LVO can be sustained during the course of at least 5 years. Reducing the risk of stroke recurrence by anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation may be a crucial strategy to improve long-term outcome.

Association of reperfusion success and emboli in new territories with long term mortality after mechanical thrombectomy

BACKGROUND

The degree of reperfusion is the most important modifiable predictor of 3 month functional outcome and mortality in ischemic stroke patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy. Whether the beneficial effect of reperfusion also leads to a reduction in long term mortality is unknown.

METHODS

Patients undergoing mechanical thrombectomy between January 2010 and December 2018 were included. The post-thrombectomy degree of reperfusion and emboli in new territories were core laboratory adjudicated. Reperfusion was evaluated according to the expanded Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (eTICI) scale. Vital status was obtained from the Swiss population register. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) using time split Cox regression models were calculated. Subgroup analyses were performed in patients with borderline indications.

RESULTS

Our study included 1264 patients (median follow-up per patient 2.5 years). Patients with successful reperfusion had longer survival times, attributable to a lower hazard of death within 0-90 days and for >90 days to 2 years (aHR 0.34, 95% CI 0.26 to 0.46; aHR 0.37, 95% CI 0.22 to 0.62). This association was homogeneous across all predefined subgroups (p for interaction >0.05). Among patients with successful reperfusion, a significant difference in the hazard of death was observed between eTICI2b50 and eTICI3 (aHR 0.51, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.79). Emboli in new territories were present in 5% of patients, and were associated with increased mortality (aHR 2.3, 95% CI 1.11 to 4.86).

CONCLUSION

Successful, and ideally complete, reperfusion without emboli in new territories is associated with a reduction in long term mortality in patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy, and this was evident across several subgroups.

Quality of Life in Physical, Social, and Cognitive Domains Improves With Endovascular Therapy in the DEFUSE 3 Trial

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The DEFUSE 3 (Endovascular Therapy Following Imaging Evaluation for Ischemic Stroke 3) randomized clinical trial demonstrated the efficacy of endovascular therapy in treating ischemic stroke 6 to 16 hours after onset, resulting in better functional outcomes than standard medical therapy alone. The objective of this secondary analysis is to analyze the effect of late-window endovascular treatment of ischemic stroke on quality of life (QoL) outcomes.

METHODS

Patients (n=182) who presented between 6 and 16 hours after they were last known to be well with acute anterior circulation ischemic stroke were randomized to endovascular thrombectomy plus standard medical therapy or standard medical therapy alone and followed-up through 90 days poststroke. QoL at day 90 was assessed with the QoL in Neurological Disorders measurement tool.

RESULTS

Of the 146 subjects alive at day 90, 136 (95%) filled out QoL in Neurological Disorders short forms. Patients treated with endovascular therapy had better QoL scores in each domain: mobility, social participation, cognitive function, and depression (P<0.01 for all). Variables other than endovascular therapy that were independently associated with better QoL included lower baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, younger age, and male sex. The degree to which the modified Rankin Scale captures differences in QoL between patients varied by domain; the modified Rankin Scale score accounted for a high proportion of the variability in mobility (Rs²=0.82), a moderate proportion in social participation (Rs²=0.62), and a low proportion in cognition (Rs²=0.31) and depression (Rs²=0.19).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients treated with endovascular therapy 6 to 16 hours after stroke have better QoL than patients treated with medical therapy alone, including better mobility, more social participation, superior cognition, and less depression. The modified Rankin Scale fails to capture patients' outcomes in cognition and depression, which should therefore be assessed with dedicated QoL tools. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT02586415.

The use of transcranial ultrasound and clinical assessment to diagnose ischaemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion in remote and rural areas

Rapid endovascular thrombectomy, which can only be delivered in specialist centres, is the most effective treatment for acute ischaemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion (LVO). Pre-hospital selection of these patients is challenging, especially in remote and rural areas due to long transport times and limited access to specialist clinicians and diagnostic facilities. We investigated whether combined transcranial ultrasound and clinical assessment (“TUCA” model) could accurately triage these patients and improve access to thrombectomy. We recruited consecutive patients within 72 hours of suspected stroke, and performed non-contrast transcranial colour-coded ultrasonography within 24 hours of brain computed tomography. We retrospectively collected clinical information, and used hospital discharge diagnosis as the “gold standard”. We used binary regression for diagnosis of haemorrhagic stroke, and an ordinal regression model for acute ischaemic stroke with probable LVO, without LVO, transient ischaemic attacks (TIA) and stroke mimics. We calculated sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and performed a sensitivity analysis. We recruited 107 patients with suspected stroke from July 2017 to December 2019 at two study sites: 13/107 (12%) with probable LVO, 50/107 (47%) with acute ischaemic stroke without LVO, 18/107 (17%) with haemorrhagic stroke, and 26/107 (24%) with stroke mimics or TIA. The model identified 55% of cases with probable LVO who would have correctly been selected for thrombectomy and 97% of cases who would not have required this treatment (sensitivity 55%, specificity 97%, positive and negative predictive values 75% and 93%, respectively). Diagnostic accuracy of the proposed model was superior to the clinical assessment alone. These data suggest that our model might be a useful tool to identify pre-hospital patients requiring mechanical thrombectomy, however a larger sample is required with the use of CT angiogram as a reference test.

Patient-reported, health-related, quality of life after stroke thrombectomy in clinical practice

OBJECTIVE

To determine patient-reported health-related quality of life (HRQOL) after stroke thrombectomy in clinical practice and to identify predictors of better HRQOL by analyzing data of 504 consecutive patients treated in a large university stroke center.

METHODS

All patients with stroke treated by thrombectomy (June 2015-October 2018) were prospectively enrolled in this observational study. At 90 days, functional outcome was assessed by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and patient-reported HRQOL was assessed by the EuroQol Group 5-Dimension (EQ-5D) self-report questionnaire, consisting of 5 health domains. The EQ-5D utility index (EQ-5D-I) score (-0.594 to 1.00, with higher values indicating better HRQOL) was calculated. Linear regression analysis was applied to identify predictors of better HRQOL (higher EQ-5D-I score).

RESULTS

Of 504 patients (median age 76 years, 51.8% female), the mean EQ-5D-I score was 0.39 (SD 0.44). The proportion of stroke survivors who reported complaints in the different domains decreased from 66% in Usual Activities to 57% in Mobility, 50.4% in Self-Care, 41.7% in Pain/Discomfort, and 40.8% Anxiety/Depression. Lower age, lower prestroke mRS score, lower baseline NIH Stroke Scale score, higher Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score, concomitant thrombolysis therapy, and a successful recanalization were independent predictors of better HRQOL.

CONCLUSIONS

Patient-reported HRQOL provides a more comprehensive assessment of stroke outcome than the mRS score. Health domains involving motor function most frequently showed complaints in HRQOL after stroke thrombectomy, while a large proportion of patients did not report any complaints across the different health domains. Predictors of better HRQOL closely match the predictors of better functional outcome measured by the mRS in other thrombectomy studies.

Good recanalization is associated with long term favorable outcomes in acute stroke patients with large vessel occlusion treated with endovascular therapy

BACKGROUND

The long-term outcome in acute stroke patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) treated with endovascular therapy (EVT) are unclear. We investigated functional outcomes one year after EVT in acute stroke patients with LVO.

METHODS

We retrospectively enrolled 149 stroke patients with LVO who underwent EVT from our prospective stroke registry. We assessed modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores at one year from onset. The degree of recanalization was evaluated using modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (mTICI) grades. Good recanalization and a favorable outcome were defined as an mTICI grade ≥ 2b and mRS score ≤ 2, respectively.

RESULTS

Favorable outcomes were observed in 76 (51.0%) patients. The favorable outcome group was younger (median age: 72 [interquartile range, 63-79] years vs. 79 [70-84] years, P < .001) and had more male patients (79% vs. 60%, P = .013), lower National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores at admission (median 14 [7-18]) vs. 19 [15-25], P < .001), higher DWI-ASPECTS upon admission (median [6-9] vs. 6 [4-8], P = .022), more patients with mTICI ≥ 2b (93% vs. 64%, P < .001) and fewer post-therapy intracranial cerebral hemorrhages (13% vs. 29%, P = .019) than the poor outcome group. In our multivariate analysis, mTICI ≥ 2b were independently associated with favorable outcomes at one year from onset (odds ratio, 10.282; 95% confidence interval, 1.587-66.604; P = .015).

CONCLUSIONS

Good recanalization was associated with favorable functional outcomes one year after EVT in acute stroke patients with LVO.

Long-Term Outcomes of Mechanical Thrombectomy for Stroke: A Meta-Analysis

Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) has become the standard treatment for large vessel occlusion (LVO) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Few studies have investigated long-term outcomes for AIS treated with MT. Therefore, a pooled meta-analysis using data from randomized clinical trials (RCT) was performed to assess for long-term clinical outcomes. A systematic literature search was conducted on 27 September 2017, by searching the English literature in the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, and Embase for RCTs investigating long-term outcomes (greater than standard 3-month timepoint) of endovascular intervention versus medical management for patients with AIS. The study was carried out according to PRISMA guidelines and random effects analysis was carried out to account for heterogeneity. Three trials were included: IMS III, MR CLEAN, and REVASCAT, comprising a total of 1,362 patients. Long-term clinical outcomes were available for 1-year follow-up in IMS III and REVASCAT and at 2 years in MR CLEAN. Functional independence at long-term follow-up favored endovascular stroke intervention (OR 1.51; p = 0.02). When stratified by LVO inclusion criteria, greater endovascular functional independence benefits were observed (OR 1.85; p = 0.0005). There was a significant difference between the 2 arms in favor of endovascular therapy for the quality of life at long-term follow-up (mean difference 0.11; p = 0.0002). No difference in mortality at long-term follow-up was observed (OR 0.82; p = 0.12). We conclude that endovascular therapy results in favorable outcomes at long-term follow-up for patients with acute ischemic stroke compared to standard medical treatment alone and that the 90-day timepoint offers a fair representation of the long-term outcomes.

Treatment effect on ordinal functional outcome using piecewise multistate Markov model with unobservable baseline: an application to the modified Rankin scale

In clinical trials, longitudinally assessed ordinal outcomes are commonly dichotomized and only the final measure is used for primary analysis, partly for ease of clinical interpretation. Dichotomization of the ordinal scale and failure to utilize the repeated measures can reduce statistical power. Additionally, in certain emergent settings, the same measure cannot be assessed at baseline prior to treatment. For such a data set, a piecewise-constant multistate Markov model that incorporates a latent model for the unobserved baseline measure is proposed. These models can be useful in analyzing disease history data and are advantageous in clinical applications where a disease process naturally moves through increasing stages of severity. Two examples are provided using acute stroke clinical trials data. Conclusions drawn in this article are consistent with those from the primary analysis for treatment effect in both of the motivating examples. Use of these models allows for a more refined examination of treatment effect and describes the movement between health states from baseline to follow-up visits which may provide more clinical insight into the treatment effect.

Diagnosis and Management of Acute Ischemic Stroke

Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is among the leading causes of death and long-term disability. Intravenous tissue plasminogen activator has been the mainstay of acute therapy. Recently, several prospective randomized trials documented the value of endovascular revascularization in selected patients with large-vessel occlusion within the anterior circulation. This finding has led to a paradigm shift in the management of AIS, including wide adoption of noninvasive neuroimaging to assess vessel patency and tissue viability, with the supplemental and independent use of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator to improve clinical outcomes. In this article, we review the landmark studies on management of AIS and the current position on the diagnosis and management of AIS. The review also highlights the importance of early stabilization and prompt initiation of therapeutic interventions before, during, and after the diagnosis of AIS within and outside of the hospital.

Mechanical Thrombectomy in Elderly Stroke Patients with Mild-to-Moderate Baseline Disability

Background

The number of elderly patients suffering from ischemic stroke is rising. Randomized trials of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) generally exclude patients over the age of 80 years with baseline disability. The aim of this study was to understand the efficacy and safety of MT in elderly patients, many of whom may have baseline impairment.

Methods

Between January 2015 and April 2017, 96 patients ≥80 years old who underwent MT for stroke were selected for a chart review. The data included baseline characteristics, time to treatment, the rate of revascularization, procedural complications, mortality, and 90-day good outcome defined as a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 0-2 or return to baseline.

Results

Of the 96 patients, 50 had mild baseline disability (mRS score 0-1) and 46 had moderate disability (mRS score 2-4). Recanalization was achieved in 84% of the patients, and the rate of symptomatic hemorrhage was 6%. At 90 days, 34% of the patients had a good outcome. There were no significant differences in good outcome between those with mild and those with moderate baseline disability (43 vs. 24%, p = 0.08), between those aged ≤85 and those aged > 85 years (40.8 vs. 26.1%, p = 0.19), and between those treated within and those treated beyond 8 h (39 vs. 20%, p = 0.1). The mortality rate was 38.5% at 90 days. The Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS) and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) predicted good outcome regardless of baseline disability (p < 0.001 and p = 0.009, respectively).

Conclusion

Advanced age, baseline disability, and delayed treatment are associated with sub-optimal outcomes after MT. However, redefining good outcome to include return to baseline functioning demonstrates that one-third of this patient population benefits from MT, suggesting the real-life utility of this treatment.

Comparison of multistate Markov modeling with contemporary outcomes in a reanalysis of the NINDS tissue plasminogen activator for acute ischemic stroke treatment trial

Historically, ordinal measures of functional outcome have been dichotomized for the primary analysis in acute stroke therapy trials. A number of alternative methods to analyze the ordinal scales have been proposed, with an emphasis on maintaining the ordinal structure as much as possible. In addition, despite the availability of longitudinal outcome data in many trials, the primary analysis consists of a single endpoint. Inclusion of information about the course of disease progression allows for a more complete understanding of the treatment effect. Multistate Markov modeling, which allows for the full ordinal scale to be analyzed longitudinally, is compared with previously suggested analytic techniques for the ordinal modified Rankin Scale (dichotomous-logistic regression; continuous-linear regression; ordinal- shift analysis, proportional odds model, partial proportional odds model, adjacent categories logit model; sliding dichotomy; utility weights; repeated measures). In addition, a multistate Markov model utilizing an estimate of the unobservable baseline outcome derived from principal component analysis is compared Each of the methods is used to re-analyze the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke tissue plasminogen activator study which showed a consistently significant effect of tissue plasminogen activator using a global test of four dichotomized outcomes in the analysis of the primary outcome at 90 days post-stroke in the primary analysis. All methods detected a statistically significant treatment effect except the multistate Markov model without predicted baseline (p = 0.053). This provides support for the use of the estimated baseline in the multistate Markov model since the treatment effect is able to be detected with its inclusion. Multistate Markov modeling allows for a more refined examination of treatment effect and describes the movement between modified Rankin Scale states over time which may provide more clinical insight into the treatment effect. Multistate Markov models are feasible and desirable in describing treatment effect in acute stroke therapy trials.

Observed Cost and Variations in Short Term Cost-Effectiveness of Therapy for Ischemic Stroke in Interventional Management of Stroke (IMS) III

BACKGROUND

Examination of linked data on patient outcomes and cost of care may help identify areas where stroke care can be improved. We report on the association between variations in stroke severity, patient outcomes, cost, and treatment patterns observed over the acute hospital stay and through the 12-month follow-up for subjects receiving endovascular therapy compared to intravenous tissue plasminogen activator alone in the IMS (Interventional Management of Stroke) III Trial.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Prospective data collected for a prespecified economic analysis of the trial were used. Data included hospital billing records for the initial stroke admission and subsequent detailed resource use after the acute hospitalization collected at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. Cost of follow-up care varied 6-fold for patients in the lowest (0-1) and highest (20+) National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale category at 5 days, and by modified Rankin Scale at 3 months. The kind of resources used postdischarge also varied between treatment groups. Incremental short-term cost-effectiveness ratios varied greatly when treatments were compared for patient subgroups. Patient subgroups predefined by stroke severity had incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of $97 303/quality-adjusted life year (severe stroke) and $3 187 805/quality-adjusted life year (moderately severe stroke).

CONCLUSIONS

Detailed economic and resource utilization data from IMS III provide powerful evidence for the large effect that patient outcome has on the economic value of medical and endovascular reperfusion therapies. These data can be used to inform process improvements for stroke care and to estimate the cost-effectiveness of endovascular therapy in the US health system for stroke intervention trials.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Registration number: NCT00359424.

Two-Year Outcome after Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke

BACKGROUND

Several trials involving patients with acute ischemic stroke have shown better functional outcomes with endovascular treatment than with conventional treatment at 90 days after initiation of treatment. However, results on long-term clinical outcomes are lacking.

METHODS

We assessed clinical outcomes 2 years after patients were randomly assigned to receive either endovascular treatment (intervention group) or conventional treatment (control group) for acute ischemic stroke. The primary outcome was the score on the modified Rankin scale at 2 years; this scale measures functional outcome, with scores ranging from 0 (no symptoms) to 6 (death). Secondary outcomes included all-cause mortality and the quality of life at 2 years, as measured by means of a health utility index that is based on the European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions questionnaire (scores range from -0.329 to 1, with higher scores indicating better health).

RESULTS

Of the 500 patients who underwent randomization in the original trial, 2-year data for this extended follow-up trial were available for 391 patients (78.2%) and information on death was available for 459 patients (91.8%). The distribution of outcomes on the modified Rankin scale favored endovascular treatment over conventional treatment (adjusted common odds ratio, 1.68; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15 to 2.45; P=0.007). There was no significant difference between the treatment groups in the percentage of patients who had an excellent outcome (i.e., a modified Rankin scale score of 0 or 1). The mean quality-of-life score was 0.48 among patients randomly assigned to endovascular treatment as compared with 0.38 among patients randomly assigned to conventional treatment (mean difference, 0.10; 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.16; P=0.006). The cumulative 2-year mortality rate was 26.0% in the intervention group and 31.0% in the control group (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.9; 95% CI, 0.6 to 1.2; P=0.46).

CONCLUSIONS

In this extended follow-up trial, the beneficial effect of endovascular treatment on functional outcome at 2 years in patients with acute ischemic stroke was similar to that reported at 90 days in the original trial. (Funded by the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development and others; MR CLEAN Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN10888758 , and Netherlands Trial Register number, NTR1804 , and MR CLEAN extended follow-up trial Netherlands Trial Register number, NTR5073 .).

Safety and efficacy of thrombectomy in acute ischaemic stroke (REVASCAT): 1-year follow-up of a randomised open-label trial

BACKGROUND

The REVASCAT trial and other studies have shown that the neurovascular thrombectomy improves outcomes at 90 days post stroke. However, whether the observed benefit is sustained in the long term remains unknown. We report the results of the prespecified 12-month analysis of the REVASCAT trial.

METHODS

Patients with acute ischaemic stroke who could be treated within 8 h of symptom onset were randomly assigned to medical therapy (including intravenous alteplase when eligible) and neurovascular thrombectomy with Solitaire FR or medical therapy alone. The main secondary outcome measure at 1 year follow-up was disability, measured using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), ranging from 0 (no symptoms) to 6 (death) with categories 5 (severe disability) and 6 (death) collapsed into one category (severe disability or death), analysed as the distribution of the mRS. Additional prespecified secondary outcome measures included health-related quality of life measured with the EuroQol five dimensions questionnaire (EQ-5D) utility index (ranging from -0·3 to 1, higher values indicate better quality of life), the rate of functional independence (mRS 0-2), and cognitive function measured with the Trail Making Test (reported elsewhere). Treatment allocation was open label but endpoints at 12 months were assessed by masked investigators. The trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01692379.

FINDINGS

From Nov 24, 2012, to Dec 12, 2014, 206 patients were randomly assigned to medical therapy plus endovascular treatment (n=103) or medical treatment alone (n=103), at four centres in Catalonia, Spain. At 12 months post randomisation, based on 205 of 206 outcomes available at 12 months, thrombectomy reduced disability over the range of the mRS (common adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1·80, 95% CI 1·09-2·99), and improved functional independence (mRS=0-2; 45 [44%] of 103 patients vs 31 [30%] of 103 patients; aOR 1·86, 95% CI 1·01-3·44). Health-related quality of life was superior in the thrombectomy group (mean EQ-5D utility index score, 0·46 [SD 0·38] in the thrombectomy group vs 0·33 [0·33] in the control group, difference 0·12 [95% CI 0·03-0·22]; p=0·01). 1-year mortality was 23% (24 of 103 patients) in the thrombectomy group versus 24% (25 of 103 patients) in the control group.

INTERPRETATION

At 12 months follow-up, neurovascular thrombectomy reduced post-stroke disability and improved health-related quality of life, indicating sustained benefit. These findings have important clinical and public health implications for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of the intervention in the long term.

FUNDING

Fundació Ictus Malaltia Vascular through an unrestricted grant from Medtronic.

Expanding the concept of neuroprotection for acute ischemic stroke: The pivotal roles of reperfusion and the collateral circulation

This review surveys the efforts taken to achieve clinically efficacious protection of the ischemic brain and underscores the necessity of expanding our purview to include the essential role of cerebral perfusion and the collateral circulation. We consider the development of quantitative strategies to measure cerebral perfusion at the regional and local levels and the application of these methods to elucidate flow-related thresholds of ischemic viability and to characterize the ischemic penumbra. We stress that the modern concept of neuroprotection must consider perfusion, the necessary substrate upon which ischemic brain survival depends. We survey the major mechanistic approaches to neuroprotection and review clinical neuroprotection trials, focusing on those phase 3 multicenter clinical trials for acute ischemic stroke that have been completed or terminated. We review the evolution of thrombolytic therapies; consider the lessons learned from the initial, negative multicenter trials of endovascular therapy; and emphasize the highly successful positive trials that have finally established a clinical role for endovascular clot removal. As these studies point to the brain's collateral circulation as key to successful reperfusion, we next review the anatomy and pathophysiology of collateral perfusion as it relates to ischemic infarction, as well as the molecular and genetic influences on collateral development. We discuss the current MR and CT-based diagnostic methods for assessing the collateral circulation and the prognostic significance of collaterals in ischemic stroke, and we consider past and possible future therapeutic directions.

Endovascular Therapy Is Effective and Safe for Patients With Severe Ischemic Stroke: Pooled Analysis of Interventional Management of Stroke III and Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial of Endovascular Therapy for Acute Ischemic Stroke in the Netherlands Data

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

We assessed the effect of endovascular treatment in acute ischemic stroke patients with severe neurological deficit (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, ≥20) after a prespecified analysis plan.

METHODS

The pooled analysis of the Interventional Management of Stroke III (IMS III) and Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial of Endovascular Therapy for Acute Ischemic Stroke in the Netherlands (MR CLEAN) trials included participants with an National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of ≥20 before intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) treatment (IMS III) or randomization (MR CLEAN) who were treated with intravenous tPA ≤3 hours of stroke onset. Our hypothesis was that participants with severe stroke randomized to endovascular therapy after intravenous tPA would have improved 90-day outcome (distribution of modified Rankin Scale scores), when compared with those who received intravenous tPA alone.

RESULTS

Among 342 participants in the pooled analysis (194 from IMS III and 148 from MR CLEAN), an ordinal logistic regression model showed that the endovascular group had superior 90-day outcome compared with the intravenous tPA group (adjusted odds ratio, 1.78; 95% confidence interval, 1.20-2.66). In the logistic regression model of the dichotomous outcome (modified Rankin Scale score, 0-2, or functional independence), the endovascular group had superior outcomes (adjusted odds ratio, 1.97; 95% confidence interval, 1.09-3.56). Functional independence (modified Rankin Scale score, ≤2) at 90 days was 25% in the endovascular group when compared with 14% in the intravenous tPA group.

CONCLUSIONS

Endovascular therapy after intravenous tPA within 3 hours of symptom onset improves functional outcome at 90 days after severe ischemic stroke.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00359424 (IMS III) and ISRCTN10888758 (MR CLEAN).