Impact of age on mechanical thrombectomy and clinical outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke

Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) has proven to be an effective and safe treatment for patients with acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion and its use has therefore rapidly increased over the past decade.1 –3 Although MT has been demonstrated to be effective independent of age, age seems to strongly affect clinical outcome after MT.1. The reasons are manifold. Besides the natural process of aging, elderly patients tend to have more significant comorbidities, such as atherosclerosis, arterial hyperte nsion and diabetes mellitus, all influencing brain plasticity, arterial collateral network and the ability to recover in general.
Source: Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases - Category: Neurology Authors: Source Type: research