Aspiration Thrombectomy Versus Stent-Retriever Thrombectomy for the First-Pass Therapy of Intracranial Atherosclerosis–Related Large Vessel Occlusion: A Post Hoc Analysis of The Endovascular Treatment With Versus Without Tirofiban for Patients with Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke Trial

This study sought to scrutinize the clinical outcomes associated with first-pass mechanical thrombectomy strategies in the management of intracranial atherosclerosis (ICAS)–related large vessel occlusion (LVO). Within this post-hoc analysis of the The Endovascular Treatment With vs Without Tirofiban for Patients with Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke (RESCUE BT) trial, we compared data pertaining to patients with ICAS-LVO situated in the anterior circulation who underwent initial therapeutic interventions utilizing either aspiration thrombectomy or stent-retriever thrombectomy. The analysis encompassed the assessment of intraprocedural recanalization, rescue procedures involving balloon angioplasty or stenting, 48-hour reocclusion rates, occurrences of cerebral hemorrhagic complications, and 90-day Modified Rankin Scale scores. Among the 948 patients encompassed in the RESCUE BT trial, a total of 230 patients with ICAS-LVO in the anterior circulation were enrolled in the study. Of these, 111 underwent aspiration thrombectomy as the first-pass therapy, while 119 patients underwent stent-retriever thrombectomy as the initial intervention. The difference in first pass recanalization rates between aspiration thrombectomy and stent-retriever thrombectomy was not statistically significant (17.1% vs. 14.3%, P = 0.555), and mechanical thrombectomy success rates (90.1% vs. 90.8%, P = 0.864), the use of balloon angioplasty or stenting for rescue therapy (54.6% vs. 45.9%, P = 0.189; 23.4% vs. 25.2%, P = 0.752), and favorable 90-day Modified Rankin Scale outcomes (53.2% vs. 40.3%, P = 0.051) showed no statistically significant differences. Both aspiration thrombectomy and stent-retriever thrombectomy can be considered as primary therapeutic options for patients presenting with ICAS-LVO in the anterior circulation.