Noncontrast CT vs CT Perfusion Imaging in Patients With Basilar Artery Occlusion

Acute CT perfusion (CTP) or MRI is not widely available or routinely performed across many stroke centers. We aimed to evaluate whether patients with acute basilar artery occlusion (BAO) who are selected by noncontrast CT (NCCT) for endovascular therapy (EVT) have similar outcomes compared with patients who are selected by CTP. This was a post hoc analysis of individual patient-level data from the ATTENTION and ATTENTION IA trials. Patients with BAO presenting within 24 hours of estimated onset and selected for EVT by NCCT were compared with those selected by CTP. The primary outcome was the 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 0-3. We used inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) to account for confounders. Of 550 patients with BAO, 406 met eligibility criteria, of whom 274 (67.5%) were selected for EVT by NCCT and 132 (32.5%) were selected by CTP. The median (interquartile range, [IQR]) age was 67 (57-74) years, 70.7% were male, the median (IQR) baseline NIH Stroke Scale score was 23 (14-35), and the median (IQR) posterior circulation Acute Stroke Prognosis Early CT Score (pc-ASPECTS) was 9 (8-10). The primary outcome was similar in both NCCT and CTP groups (mRS scores 0-3: 48.5% vs 45.5%, p = 0.56, respectively). Functional independence at 90 days (mRS scores 0-2: 37.2% vs 33.3%, p = 0.44, respectively), symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (4.5% vs 7.5%, p = 0.29), and 90-day mortality (32.1% vs 34.9%, p = 0.83) were similar in both groups, respectively. In IPTW analysis, there was no difference in mRS scores 0-3 at 90 days (odds ratio 0.88 [95% CI 0.58-1.32], p = 0.53). In patients with BAO treated with EVT up to the 24-hour time window, there was no difference in clinical or safety outcomes in patients selected by NCCT compared with CT perfusion. This study provides Class IV evidence that in patients with BAO, selection for EVT using NCCT yields similar clinical and safety outcomes compared with selection for EVT using CT perfusion. ATTENTION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04751708. ATTENTION IA: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05684172.