The EXTEND-IA trial showed a positive result in 71 patients (31% absolute effect size for mRS 0-2) [1].Data from the HERMES collaboration showed an NNT of 2.5 for a one point improvement in mRS in patients undergoing endovascular thrombectomy [2]. The DAWN trial showed an absolute difference of 35% for mRS 0-2 between the thrombectomy and control arms [3].These massive effect sizes are very uncommon in any medical field. How did these treatment effects occur? It is likely a combination of factors. First, we did not really expect IMS3 [4] that studied evolving endovascular stroke treatment techniques to show a negative result. It was a neutral study due to a combination of factors. Cherry picking (taking younger, earlier, healthier patients outside of the trial direct to endovascular thrombectomy) may have been a factor. Other factors commonly associated with IMS-3 that contributed to the negative results are as follows: absence of vascular imaging to definitively document the presence of LVO; lack of additional imaging markers such as collaterals or perfusion imaging to exclude patients with poor collaterals or a very large ischemic core; not using modern thrombectomy devices such as stent retrievers, an equal reperfusion rate in both treatment arms; and finally, insufficient focus on efficiency and workflow of the thrombectomy procedure. The results of IMS3 as well as SYNTHESIS Expansion [5] and MR RESCUE [6]) galvanized the stroke community into action, and many trials were then designed and successfully executed. These trials were for the most part designed to overcome the limitations of IMS3 as described above and furthermore, knowingly or unknowingly, selected inclusion/ exclusion criteria so as to conclusively demonstrate a large benefit of endovascular treatment. After the first group of trials, a second group of trials led by DAWN and DEFUSE-3 were conducted to show benefit in a highly focused group of patients (selected by imaging) beyond 6 h from stroke onset. Once again, the effect size of treatment was staggering.With the success of all these trials (MR CLEAN, ESCAPE, EXTEND IA, SWIFT PRIME, REVASCAT, THRACE, DAWN [1, 7-11]), there is the obvious question: are there other sub-populations of patients who would benefit from endovascular thrombectomy that were not sufficiently included in the prior trials? If so, should we use the success and momentum from the successful trials to show definitive proof for these sub-populations as well?