Efficacy and Safety of the Soft Torqueable Catheter Optimized For Intracranial Access in the Endovascular Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Meta-Analysis

Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is a severe, life-threatening type of stroke with poor prognosis and high recurrence rate, mainly attributed to large vessel occlusion (LVO). Improved understanding of the safety and effectiveness of the Soft torqueable catheter Optimized For Intracranial Access (SOFIA) for LVO-AIS might guide practitioners. Therefore, we conducted this study focusing on neurological outcomes, procedure-related complications, and recanalization rates.We collected data in January 2022 from PubMed, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Embase. The study considered that assessed the effects of the SOFIA catheter in treatment of LVO-AIS. We extracted data narratively and expressed the results with the proportions and 95% confidence intervals (CI).We included 17 studies reporting on 2,106 patients treated with the SOFIA catheter. The successful recanalization (SR) rate was 77% (95% CI, 71-83%) with the SOFIA catheter alone, and the application of a rescue stent-retriever was observed in 28% (95% CI, 23-33%) of cases, resulting in an overall SR rate of 90% (95% CI, 87-92%). A pooled estimate of 45% (95% CI, 39-51%) was observed for functional independence at 90 days, 15% (95% CI, 11-20%) for mortality at 90 days, and 5% (95%CI, 3-8%) for symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage.This meta-analysis revealed that aspiration thrombectomy with the SOFIA catheter is a safer and effective treatment modality for LVO-AIS.