Two recent randomized, controlled trials from China-ATTENTION (Trial of Endovascular Treatment of Acute Basilar-Artery Occlusion) and BAOCHE (Trial of Thrombectomy 6 to 24 Hours after Stroke Due to Basilar-Artery Occlusion) have shown a significantly beneficial effect of endovascular thrombectomy in patients with an acute symptomatic basilar artery occlusion. The DEVT (Direct Endovascular Treatment versus Standard Bridging Therapy for Acute Stroke Patients with Large Vessel Occlusion in The Anterior Circulation) and DIRECT-MT (Direct Intraarterial Thrombectomy in Order to Revascularize Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients with Large Vessel Occlusion Efficiently in Chinese Tertiary Hospitals Trial) trials showed that endovascular thrombectomy alone is not inferior to intravenous alteplase bridging with endovascular treatment in terms of achieving 90-day functional independence for stroke patients with large vessel occlusion. However, it is unclear whether endovascular thrombectomy alone is noninferior to intravenous thrombolysis bridging with endovascular thrombectomy for achieving functional independence at 90 days among patients with acute basilar artery occlusion. Therefore, additional studies are needed to explore the potential benefit of endovascular thrombectomy alone in these patients.
To assess the effect of endovascular thrombectomy alone compared to intravenous thrombolysis plus endovascular thrombectomy in acute basilar artery occlusion patients within 4.5 hours from onset on efficacy and safety outcomes.