The current study aimed to evaluate whether patients with different pathologic subtypes of basilar artery occlusion (BAO) stroke could affect the clinical outcome after receiving endovascular treatment (EVT). A total of 187 consecutive patients with acute BAO receiving endovascular treatment (EVT) from January 2012 to July 2018 at the Beijing Tiantan Hospital were recruited in this study. The patients were categorized into three groups: embolism without vertebral artery (VA) steno-occlusion (group 1), in situ atherosclerotic thrombosis (group 2), and embolism from tandem VA steno-occlusion (group 3). Among the 187 patients, 4 patients with embolic combined with ICAS and 1 patient with tandem VA steno-occlusion combined with ICAS were excluded. Of the remaining 182 patients (153 men and 29 women; mean age, 60 years), 43 (23.6%) had embolism without vertebral artery (VA) steno-occlusion (group 1), 116 (63.7%) showed in situ atherosclerotic thrombosis (group 2), and 23 (12.6%) had embolism from tandem VA steno-occlusion (group 3). Overall, successful recanalization (modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction grade 2b or 3) was achieved in 95.3%, 86.2%, and 60.9% in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The favorable outcome (90-day modified Rankin scale score, 0-3) in the three groups was 51.2%, 52.6%, and 30.4%, respectively. Mortality was higher in group 3 (47.8%) as compared with groups 1 (16.3%) (p = 0.009) and 2 (17.2%) (p = 0.004). Embolism from tandem VA steno-occlusion (group 3) seems to be associated with a lower rate of recanalization and significantly higher rate of mortality as compared with another pathological mechanism of BAO.
Keywords: Acute ischemic stroke; Basilar artery occlusion; Endovascular therapy; Outcome; Pathology; Subtype.