According to a study that stroke survivors treated with endovascular therapy have a more favorable quality of life which includes better mobility, increased social life, superior cognition and less depression compared with those who received medical therapy alone.
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What is Endovascular Therapy?
From the word Endovascular means “inside the
blood vessel.” Endovascular therapy is a type of procedure that uses very small
cuts and long, thin tubes called catheters, which are placed inside a blood
vessel to repair it.
It is also known as neurointerventional therapy, which
is a relatively new treatment available for eligible patients experiencing
acute ischemic stroke – a stroke caused by a blood clot in the brain.
The treatment involves placing a catheter into the brain and removing the clot
that’s causing the stroke.
Data utilized in the study were from the DEFUSE 3 (Endovascular
Therapy Following Imaging Evaluation for Ischemic Stroke 3) trial of 182
patients with acute anterior circulation ischemic stroke who presented within 6
and 16 hours of the index event. They either received endovascular thrombectomy
plus standard medical therapy or standard medical therapy alone.
A total of 146 survivors at the 90-day follow-up. Only
136 or 95% were able to complete the Neurological Disorders short forms to
assess QoL.
Findings revealed QoL scores were particularly higher
in the group who had received endovascular therapy, especially in domains of mobility,
social participation, cognitive function, and depression.
Other elements significantly correlated with better QoL
(Quality of Life) included lower baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke
Scale, younger, and male gender.
Notably, the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) captured
differences in QoL between patients, however the degree to which it did differed
by domain. The mRS score accounted for a large proportion of the variability in
mobility, a moderate proportion in social participation, and a low proportion in
cognition and depression.
For complete details of the study, click here.
Source: Stroke 2021;52:1185-1191