Functional outcomes in pediatric large vessel occlusion treated with endovascular treatment: results from Chinese Pediatric Ischemic Stroke Registry, a multicenter, prospective registry study

Background and purpose Endovascular treatment (EVT) has become the standard of care for selected adult patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO), but its efficacy in pediatric patients remains limited. This study aimed to assess the clinical outcomes of EVT in pediatric patients with LVO and compare it with medical management. Methods The Chinese Pediatric Ischemic Stroke Registry (CPISR) is a multicenter, prospective observational study. Eighty-five centers across 20 provinces in China reported functional outcomes for children aged between 28 days and 18 years presenting with arterial ischemic stroke (AIS) caused by LVO who received either EVT or medical treatment. The primary outcome was the pediatric modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at 90 days. Secondary outcomes included excellent outcome (pediatric mRs 0–1), favorable outcome (pediatric mRs 0–2) and 90-day mortality. Propensity score matching (PSM) and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) were employed to address imbalances across groups. A meta-analysis integrating the currently available evidence was performed to systematically compare the two groups. Results In this study, 64 patients with LVO were finally included in this analysis. After PSM, EVT was associated with increased odds of improved shift pediatric mRS scores (OR 3.20, 95% CI 1.03 to 9.97) and excellent outcome (OR 10.0, 95% CI 1.10 to 90.59). There was no significant difference in 90-day mortality between EVT and medical management groups (OR 1.70, 95% CI 0.10 to 28.43). Meta-analysis also demonstrated the superiority of EVT over medical treatment, showing better mRS shift at 90 days (OR 2.56, 95% CI 1.44 to 4.54), a high possibility of excellent outcome (OR 4.44, 95% CI 1.90 to 10.33) and favorable outcome (OR 2.16, 95% CI 1.15 to 4.05). Conclusion This matched-control study and meta-analysis showed that EVT was associated with better functional outcomes in pediatric patients with LVO. These findings support the use of EVT as a treatment approach for pediatric patients with LVO.