A randomized, open-label adaptive trial assessed the effect of endovascular thrombectomy for patients with stroke due to occlusion of the internal carotid artery or the first segment of the middle cerebral artery. It was ended early for efficacy.
Endovascular thrombectomy resulted in significantly better patient outcomes for functional independence (20% vs 7%; relative risk 2.97) with similar mortality. Complications of thrombectomy occurred in 18.5% of patients.
The authors concluded that, for patients with large ischemic stroke, endovascular thrombectomy results in better functional outcomes than typical medical care, although complications were relatively common.