Balloon guide catheter impact on angiographic and clinical outcomes in distal medium vessel occlusion stroke thrombectomy
Background The use of balloon guide catheter (BGC) has been associated with better reperfusion and clinical outcomes in mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for large vessel occlusion stroke. However, the impact of BGC on angiographic and clinical outcomes in patients with distal medium vessel occlusion (DMVO) strokes undergoing MT has not been extensively investigated. Methods This is a retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected database from 14 comprehensive stroke centers in the United States and Europe. Patients with anterior circulation DMVO due to middle cerebral artery (MCA) M3/M4 or anterior cerebral artery (ACA) A1/A2-3 were included. The cohort was divided into BGC and non-BGC groups. Multivariable logistic regression and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) were used for comparison. The primary outcome was first pass effect (FPE) defined as modified treatment in cerebral infarction (mTICI) grade 2C/3 after single device pass. Results Among 199 patients who were
