Efficacy and safety of endovascular treatment for patients with acute intracranial atherosclerosis-related posterior circulation stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The benefit of endovascular treatment (EVT) for patients with intracranial atherosclerosis-related large vessel occlusion (ICAS-LVO) in posterior circulation stroke (PCS) is inconsistent. This systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to estimate the effect of ICAS-LVO in PCS treated by EVT. A systematic review was completed, tracking studies from their date of inception until February 2020. Clinical studies which compared outcomes after EVT for ICAS-LVO and non-ICAS-LVO in PCS were included. Data were synthesized and interpreted from meta-analysis. A total of 688 patients (352 ICAS-LVO and 336 non-ICAS-LVO) in the eight studies were included. The successful reperfusion rate (odds ratio [OR], 0.58; 95% confidence intervals [95% CIs], 0.37-0.93; P = 0.02) was lower in PCS with ICAS-LVO than non-ICAS-LVO. And for other clinical outcomes, there were no differences between both groups. Moreover, there were no statistical differences of any clinical outcome among subgroups stratified by nations and target vessel occlusion location. With respect to patients' characteristics, age (mean difference [MD], -2.75; 95% CI, -4.62--0.88; P = 0.004), pc-Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (MD, -0.49; 95% CI, -0.94--0.05; P = 0.03), distributions of sex (male) (OR, 2.34; 95% CI, 1.53-3.56; P < 0.001), prior or current smoking (OR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.12-3.07; P = 0.02), hypertension (OR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.32-3.22; P = 0.002), coronary artery disease (OR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.11-0.66; P = 0.004) and general anesthesia (OR, 2.89; 95% CI, 1.54-5.45; P = 0.001) were statistically different between both groups. In conclusion, more targeted assessments are warranted for patients with ICAS-LVO-related PCS during clinical strategies, and the benefit of EVT for PCS with ICAS-LVO deserves further research.