Predictors of Good Outcome After Endovascular Treatment for Patients with Vertebrobasilar Artery Occlusion due to Intracranial Atherosclerotic Stenosis.

PURPOSE: To investigate the predictors for good outcome of endovascular therapy (EVT) for patients with acute vertebrobasilar artery occlusion (VBAO) due to intracranial atherosclerosis stenosis (ICAS).

METHODS: From April 2012 to February 2018, patients with VBAO due to ICAS who received EVT were retrospectively analyzed. ICAS was defined as fixed stenosis of >70%, or a degree of fixed stenosis >50% in addition to either perfusion impairment or evidence to re-occlusion. Good outcome was defined as mRS≤2 at 90 days. Both logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analyses were performed to explore the predictors.

RESULTS: Among 103 patients enrolled in the analysis, 40.8% achieved good outcome. Prior antiplatelet therapy (OR, 7.301; 95% CI, 1.761-30.265; P=0.006), EVT+IVT (OR, 7.343; 95% CI, 1.621-33.263; P=0.010 ), the pc-ASPECT on DWI (OR, 1.705; 95% CI, 1.127-2.580; P=0.012), BATMAN (OR, 1.395; 95% CI, 1.005-1.937; P=0047), general anesthesia (OR, 0.081; 95% CI, 0.010-0.633; P=0.017), onset-to-recanalization time (≤542min vs. >542min) (OR, 0.194; 95% CI, 0.057-0.661; P=0.009) and the initial NIHSS (OR, 0.882; 95% CI, 0.820-0.949; P=0.001) were significantly associated with good outcome in logistic regression. Based on ROC analyses, initial NIHSS score (area under the curve [AUC]= 0.816, p <0.001; cutoff,19.5; sensitivity, 78.7%; specificity, 72.5%) was significant predictors of good outcome.

CONCLUSIONS: For patients with VBAO due to ICAS, prior antiplatelet therapy, EVT+IVT, local anesthesia, short onset-to-recanalization time, a low initial NIHSS, a high pc-ASPECT and BATMAN might be helpful to predict the good outcome at 90 days after EVT.