Background and Purpose: The benefit of endovascular treatment (EVT) for large vessel occlusion in clinical practice in developing countries like China needs to be confirmed. The aim of the study was to determine whether the benefit of EVT for acute ischemic stroke in randomized trials could be generalized to clinical practice in Chinese population. Methods: We conducted a prospective registry of EVT at 111 centers in China. Patients with acute ischemic stroke caused by imaging-confirmed intracranial large vessel occlusion and receiving EVT were included. The primary outcome was functional independence at 90 days defined as a modified Rankin Scale score of 0 to 2. Outcomes of specific subgroups in the anterior circulation were reported and logistic regression was performed to predict the primary outcome. Results: Among the 1793 enrolled patients, 1396 (77.9%) had anterior circulation large vessel occlusion (median age, 66 [56–73] years) and 397 (22.1%) had posterior circulation large vessel occlusion (median age, 64 [55–72] years). Functional independence at 90 days was reached in 45% and 44% in anterior and posterior circulation groups, respectively. For anterior circulation population, underlying intracranial atherosclerotic disease was identified in 29% of patients, with higher functional independence at 90 days (52% versus 44%; P =0.0122) than patients without intracranial atherosclerotic disease. In the anterior circulation population, after adjusting for baseline characteristics, procedure details, and early outcomes, the independent predictors for functional independence at 90 days were age <66 years (odds ratio [OR], 1.733 [95% CI, 1.213–2.476]), time from onset to puncture >6 hours (OR, 1.536 [95% CI, 1.065–2.216]), local anesthesia (OR, 2.194 [95% CI, 1.325–3.633]), final modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction 2b/3 (OR, 2.052 [95% CI, 1.085–3.878]), puncture-to-reperfusion time ≤1.5 hours (OR, 1.628 [95% CI, 1.098–2.413]), and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score 24 hours after the procedure <11 (OR, 9.126 [95% CI, 6.222–13.385]). Conclusions: Despite distinct characteristics in the Chinese population, favorable outcome of EVT can be achieved in clinical practice in China. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT03370939.

Background: In patients undergoing mechanical thrombectomy (MT), adjunctive antithrombotic might improve angiographic reperfusion, reduce the risk of distal emboli and reocclusion but possibly expose patients to a higher intracranial hemorrhage risk. This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of combined MT plus eptifibatide for acute ischemic stroke. Methods: This was a propensity-matched analysis of data from 2 prospective trials in Chinese populations: the ANGEL-ACT trial (Endovascular Treatment Key Technique and Emergency Workflow Improvement of Acute Ischemic Stroke) in 111 hospitals between November 2017 and March 2019, and the EPOCH trial (Eptifibatide in Endovascular Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke) in 15 hospitals between April 2019 and March 2020. The primary efficacy outcome was good outcome (modified Rankin Scale score 0–2) at 3 months. Secondary efficacy outcomes included the distribution of 3-month modified Rankin Scale scores and poor outcome (modified Rankin Scale score 5–6) and successful recanalization. The safety outcomes included any intracranial hemorrhage, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, and 3-month mortality. Mixed-effects logistic regression models were used to account for within-hospital clustering in adjusted analyses. Results: Eighty-one combination arm EPOCH subjects were matched with 81 ANGEL-ACT noneptifibatide patients. Compared with the no eptifibatide group, the eptifibatide group had significantly higher rates of successful recanalization (91.3% versus 81.5%; P =0.043) and 3-month good outcomes (53.1% versus 33.3%; P =0.016). No significant difference was found in the remaining outcome measures between the 2 groups. All outcome measures of propensity score matching were consistent with mixed-effects logistic regression models in the total population. Conclusions: This matched-control study demonstrated that MT combined with eptifibatide did not raise major safety concerns and showed a trend of better efficacy outcomes compared with MT alone. Overall, eptifibatide shows potential as a periprocedural adjunctive antithrombotic therapy when combined with MT. Further randomized controlled trials of MT plus eptifibatide should be prioritized. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT03844594 (EPOCH), NCT03370939 (ANGEL-ACT).

Purpose To study the association between IL-6 level and seizure recurrence in patients with the first post-ischemic stroke seizure and assess its predictive value for seizure recurrence. Patients and Methods A total of 2976 consecutive ischemic stroke patients were retrospectively enrolled. Among them, 209 (7.02%) patients with the first post-ischemic stroke seizure were included in this analysis. The IL-6 mRNA expression level was evaluated through quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and the 2 −ΔΔCt method. Demographic data and clinical characteristics were collected. Univariate analysis was performed with independent-samples t -test, Mann–Whitney U -test, or chi-square test. Multivariate analysis was conducted using a backward stepwise logistic regression model for variables with P <0.10 in univariate analysis. The predictive value was assessed using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results Among the patients included, 105 (50.24%) had recurrence of seizures, and 104 (49.76%) had no recurrence. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the IL-6 mRNA expression level was independently correlated with seizure recurrence in patients with the first post-ischemic stroke seizure after adjusting for age, NIHSS scores, time of seizure, seizure type, lesion size, location of the offending lesion to different hemispheric lobes, cortical involvement, gender, electroencephalography (EEG) findings, and hemorrhagic transformation. When the IL-6 mRNA expression level was used to predict seizure recurrence, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.763 (SE=0.033, 95% CI=0.698–0.829). The diagnostic power was moderate. Conclusion IL-6 was independently correlated with seizure recurrence in patients with the first post-ischemic stroke seizure and might be a potential biomarker for prediction of seizure recurrence.

Background: The role of stroke etiology subtype in patients with acute large vessel occlusion on the occurrence of hemorrhagic transformation (HT) after endovascular treatment is poorly studied, and which factors mediate their relationship remains largely unknown. We utilized nationwide registry data to explore the association of stroke subtype (cardioembolism versus large artery atherosclerosis) with HT and to identify the possible mediators. Methods: A total of 1015 subjects were selected from the ANGEL-ACT registry (Endovascular Treatment Key Technique and Emergency Work Flow Improvement of Acute Ischemic Stroke)—a prospective consecutive cohort of acute large vessel occlusion patients undergoing endovascular treatment at 111 hospitals in China between November 2017 and March 2019—and divided into large artery atherosclerosis (n=538) and cardioembolism (n=477) according to the Trial of ORG 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment criteria. The types of HT included any intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), parenchymal hematoma, and symptomatic ICH within 24 hours after endovascular treatment. The association between stroke subtype and HT was analyzed using a logistic regression model. Mediation analysis was done to assess how much of the effect of stroke subtype on HT was mediated through the identified mediators. Results: Stroke subtype (cardioembolism versus large artery atherosclerosis) was associated with increased risk of any ICH (29.8% versus 16.5%; odds ratio, 2.03 [95% CI, 1.22–3.36]), parenchymal hematoma (14.3% versus 5.4%; odds ratio, 2.90 [95% CI, 1.38–6.13]), and symptomatic ICH (9.9% versus 4.7%; odds ratio, 2.59 [95% CI, 1.09–6.16]) after adjustment for potential confounders. The more thrombectomy passes in cardioembolism patients had a significant mediation effect on the association of stroke subtype with increased risk of HT (any ICH, 15.9%; parenchymal hematoma, 13.4%; symptomatic ICH, 14.2%, respectively). Conclusions: Stroke subtype is an independent risk factor for HT within 24 hours following endovascular treatment among acute large vessel occlusion patients. Mediation analyses propose that stroke subtype contributes to HT partly through thrombectomy pass, suggesting a possible pathomechanistic link.