• Tareq Kass-Hout, Omar Kass-Hout, Chung-Huan Johnny Sun, Taha Kass-Hout, Samir Belagaje, Aaron Anderson, Michael Frankel, Rishi Gupta, and Raul Nogueira.
• Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
• J Neurointerv Surg. 2015 Mar 1; 7 (3): 176-81.

Background And PurposeHigher reperfusion rates have been established with endovascular treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). There are limited data on the comparative performance of mechanical thrombectomy devices.MethodsA retrospective single-center analysis was undertaken of all consecutive patients who underwent thrombectomy using Merci, Penumbra or stent retrievers (SR) from September 2010 to November 2012. Baseline characteristics, rates of successful recanalization (modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (mTICI) score 2b-3), symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH), final infarct volume, 90-day mortality and independent functional outcomes at 90 days were compared across the three devices.ResultsOur cohort included 287 patients. There were mild imbalances in baseline characteristics with trends towards higher National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score in patients in the Merci group (SR=18 vs Merci=21 vs Penumbra=19, p=0.06) and lower Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS) in patients in the SR group (>7: SR=51% vs Merci=61% vs Penumbra=62%, p=0.12). On univariate analysis there were no differences in the rate of sICH (SR=7% vs Merci=7% vs Penumbra=6%, p=0.921) and infarct volume (SR=61.5 mL vs Merci=69.5 mL vs Penumbra=59.2 mL, p=0.621). Trends towards better functional outcomes were found with Penumbra and SR vs Merci (41% vs 36% vs 25%, respectively, p=0.079). Complete or near complete reperfusion (mTICI 2b-3) was higher in the SR and Penumbra groups than in the Merci group (86% vs 78% vs 70%, respectively, p=0.027). Binary logistic regression showed that SR was an independent predictor of good functional outcome (OR 2.27, 95% CI 1.018 to 5.048; p=0.045).ConclusionsAlthough our initial data confirm the superiority of SR technology over the Merci device, there was no significant difference in near complete/complete reperfusion, final infarct volumes or clinical outcomes between SR and Penumbra thromboaspiration.Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

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