Abstract 043: Intra‐cranial Rescue stenting in patients with incomplete perfusion following mechanical thrombectomy;a systemic review and meta‐analysis.
Authors: Ahmed Muhammad K. , Chaychi Muhammad Tayyab M. , Danial Ahmad , Shafiq Muhammad M. , Rahimeen  , Khan Muhammad S. , Kamal Haris 
Published: March 2024

Introduction
Incomplete reperfusion following Mechanical Thrombectomy (MT) ranges from 12–34% and patients with Intracranial atherosclerotic (ICAS) occlusions are disproportionally affected.(1, 2)These patients are also more likely to experience poor functional outcomes. (3) Rescue stenting (RS) in these patients has shown promising rates of recanalization and better outcomes in preliminary studies. In our systemic review and meta‐analysis, we included Sixteen dual arm and seven single arm studies in order to study recanalization rate and compare outcomes following rescue stenting in patients with incomplete reperfusion compared to those managed conservatively (no‐RS).(4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)(20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)

Methods
Our study was performed according to the preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta‐analysis (PRISMA) guidelines.(27) We incorporated studies that included participants, aged 18 years or older, and met the following criteria: (1) participants with ischemic stroke with Intracranial Atherosclerotic Stenosis (ICAS) who underwent at least one attempt of MT and had incomplete perfusion after the procedure (2) participants who received rescue stenting after MT with incomplete reperfusion, with no restrictions on the type of stents or stenting procedure used; (3) both observational studies (case series, cohort studies) and experimental designs (randomized controlled trials) were considered; (4) the control group consisted of patients incomplete reperfusion following MT but did not received no rescue stenting and were conservatively managed. We reported the recanalization rate in patients undergoing MT and compared the outcomes between the RS and no‐RS groups; MRS ≤ 2 at 90 days, Mortality at 90 days, Symptomatic Intra cranial Hemorrhage (sICH), Any Intracranial Hemorrhage (ICH), vessel dissection and vessel perforation

Results
Patients who underwent stenting experienced recanalization rate of 84% (95% CI: 79.0 – 88.1). They also had significantly higher odds of a better functional outcome (MRS ≤ 2 at 90 days) at 3 months compared to the no‐RS group (OR 2.70 [95% CI: 1.89 ‐ 3.86]). Odds of sICH (OR 0.92 [95% CI: 0.62 ‐ 1.36]) and any ICH (OR: 0.64 [95% CI 0.40 ‐ 1.03]) were lower but insignificant in the RS group. Odds of mortality at 90 days were significantly lower in the RS group(OR 0.59 [95% CI: 0.42 ‐ 0.83]). No significant difference in Odds of Vessel dissection (OR 1.22 [95% CI: 0.19 ‐ 8.07]) or vessel perforation (OR 0.40 [ 95% CI: 0.10 ‐ 1.61]) between the two groups was noted.

Conclusion
Out meta‐analysis which included the most recent studies indicates that rescue setting after mechanical thrombectomy for large artery intracranial atherosclerosis with incomplete perfusion or with residual stenosis (>50 percent) is associated with better clinical outcomes and indicates lower mortality rate and associated complications. Therefore, rescue stenting can be considered as a safe and viable option in these patients.