Background and purpose: Successful reperfusion can be achieved in more than two-thirds of patients with usual large-vessel occlusion stroke causes treated with mechanical thrombectomy. However, the safety and outcomes after mechanical thrombectomy in the setting of large-vessel occlusion related to infective endocarditis is not known. In this study, we investigated the impact of mechanical thrombectomy in infective endocarditis patients on angiographic and clinical outcomes.
Methods: This was a multicenter study from five comprehensive stroke centers. We compared the outcomes of mechanical thrombectomy treated stroke patients due to infective endocarditis with patients presenting atrial fibrillation. Clinical outcomes included 90-day modified Rankin Scale, symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage, and mortality.
Results: Between June 2013 and March 2019, 28 patients presenting large-vessel occlusion stroke due to IE were included. These cases were matched with 84 large-vessel occlusion stroke related to atrial fibrillation. Successful reperfusion (modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction 2b/3) was obtained in 85.7%. Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, favorable outcome and mortality rates were respectively 8.0%, 25.9%, and 25.9%. In the case-control analysis, we demonstrated no difference in terms of successful reperfusion, procedural complication, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, and mortality rates. Three-month favorable outcome was less often achieved in the infective endocarditis group.
Conclusions: Mechanical thrombectomy of infective endocarditis patients presents similar safety and angiographic results compared to patients suffering from atrial fibrillation.
Keywords: Acute stroke therapy; cardioaortic embolism; cerebral Infarction; intervention; ischemic stroke; stroke.