Effectiveness and Safety of Endovascular Treatment in Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke with an NIHSS Score of ≤5 Exhibiting Predominant Cortical Signs

<b>Background</b>: Our study aimed to evaluate the impact of EVT on stroke outcomes in patients with LVO with a National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score of ≤5, exhibiting primarily cortical signs. <b>Methods</b>: We conducted a multicenter registry-based analys...

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Main Authors: Chulho Kim, Seung Joon Oh, Jae Jun Lee, Jong-Hee Sohn, Joo Hye Sung, Yerim Kim, Minwoo Lee, Mi Sun Oh, Kyung-Ho Yu, Hee Jung Mo, Sang-Hwa Lee
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Biomedicines
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/13/7/1700
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author Chulho Kim
Seung Joon Oh
Jae Jun Lee
Jong-Hee Sohn
Joo Hye Sung
Yerim Kim
Minwoo Lee
Mi Sun Oh
Kyung-Ho Yu
Hee Jung Mo
Sang-Hwa Lee
author_facet Chulho Kim
Seung Joon Oh
Jae Jun Lee
Jong-Hee Sohn
Joo Hye Sung
Yerim Kim
Minwoo Lee
Mi Sun Oh
Kyung-Ho Yu
Hee Jung Mo
Sang-Hwa Lee
author_sort Chulho Kim
collection DOAJ
description <b>Background</b>: Our study aimed to evaluate the impact of EVT on stroke outcomes in patients with LVO with a National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score of ≤5, exhibiting primarily cortical signs. <b>Methods</b>: We conducted a multicenter registry-based analysis of patients with acute ischemic stroke with LVO who arrived within 12 h of onset. Among these, patients with low NIHSS scores and prominent cortical signs (Items 2, 3, 9, or 11) were included. Patients were divided into two groups: those who underwent EVT and those treated with the best medical therapy (BMT), which included intravenous thrombolysis where appropriate. The primary outcome measure was a modified Rankin scale (mRS) score of 0–1 at 3 months and symptomatic hemorrhagic transformation (SHT). We performed logistic regression analysis to evaluate the impact of EVT on the outcomes. <b>Results</b>: Of the 970 patients with LVO, 291 met the inclusion criteria, with 95 and 196 undergoing EVT and BMT, respectively. The EVT group demonstrated a significantly higher rate of 3-month mRS score of 0–1 (65.3% vs. 39.3%, <i>p</i> < 0.001) and a lower incidence of SHT than the BMT group (3.2% vs. 12.8%, <i>p</i> = 0.01). Multivariate analysis confirmed that EVT was associated with improved functional recovery (mRS score, 0–1; odds ratio [OR], 3.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.82–7.06; <i>p</i> < 0.001) and reduced risk of SHT (OR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.05–0.74; <i>p</i> = 0.02). Notably, patients with specific cortical signs, such as aphasia and spatial neglect, exhibited better outcomes with EVT. <b>Conclusions</b>: EVT may significantly improve the functional outcomes in patients with mild LVO stroke who present with cortical signs, despite low NIHSS scores. These findings suggest that cortical signs should be a key factor in EVT decision-making for mild stroke cases, thereby advocating for a more individualized approach in acute stroke management.
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spelling doaj-art-e41c2a68265e4efea2dea0dea5ca92762025-08-20T03:36:34ZengMDPI AGBiomedicines2227-90592025-07-01137170010.3390/biomedicines13071700Effectiveness and Safety of Endovascular Treatment in Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke with an NIHSS Score of ≤5 Exhibiting Predominant Cortical SignsChulho Kim0Seung Joon Oh1Jae Jun Lee2Jong-Hee Sohn3Joo Hye Sung4Yerim Kim5Minwoo Lee6Mi Sun Oh7Kyung-Ho Yu8Hee Jung Mo9Sang-Hwa Lee10Department of Neurology, Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon 24253, Republic of KoreaInstitute of New Frontier Research Team, Hallym University, Chuncheon 24253, Republic of KoreaInstitute of New Frontier Research Team, Hallym University, Chuncheon 24253, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Neurology, Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon 24253, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Neurology, Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon 24253, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Neurology, Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Seoul 05355, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Neurology, Hallym Sacred Heart Hospital, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Anyang 14068, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Neurology, Hallym Sacred Heart Hospital, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Anyang 14068, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Neurology, Hallym Sacred Heart Hospital, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Anyang 14068, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Neurology, Inha University Hospital, Incheon 22332, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Neurology, Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon 24253, Republic of Korea<b>Background</b>: Our study aimed to evaluate the impact of EVT on stroke outcomes in patients with LVO with a National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score of ≤5, exhibiting primarily cortical signs. <b>Methods</b>: We conducted a multicenter registry-based analysis of patients with acute ischemic stroke with LVO who arrived within 12 h of onset. Among these, patients with low NIHSS scores and prominent cortical signs (Items 2, 3, 9, or 11) were included. Patients were divided into two groups: those who underwent EVT and those treated with the best medical therapy (BMT), which included intravenous thrombolysis where appropriate. The primary outcome measure was a modified Rankin scale (mRS) score of 0–1 at 3 months and symptomatic hemorrhagic transformation (SHT). We performed logistic regression analysis to evaluate the impact of EVT on the outcomes. <b>Results</b>: Of the 970 patients with LVO, 291 met the inclusion criteria, with 95 and 196 undergoing EVT and BMT, respectively. The EVT group demonstrated a significantly higher rate of 3-month mRS score of 0–1 (65.3% vs. 39.3%, <i>p</i> < 0.001) and a lower incidence of SHT than the BMT group (3.2% vs. 12.8%, <i>p</i> = 0.01). Multivariate analysis confirmed that EVT was associated with improved functional recovery (mRS score, 0–1; odds ratio [OR], 3.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.82–7.06; <i>p</i> < 0.001) and reduced risk of SHT (OR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.05–0.74; <i>p</i> = 0.02). Notably, patients with specific cortical signs, such as aphasia and spatial neglect, exhibited better outcomes with EVT. <b>Conclusions</b>: EVT may significantly improve the functional outcomes in patients with mild LVO stroke who present with cortical signs, despite low NIHSS scores. These findings suggest that cortical signs should be a key factor in EVT decision-making for mild stroke cases, thereby advocating for a more individualized approach in acute stroke management.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/13/7/1700large vessel occlusion strokeendovascular treatmentcortical signlow National Institute of Health Stroke Scale scorethree-month modified Rankin scalebleeding
spellingShingle Chulho Kim
Seung Joon Oh
Jae Jun Lee
Jong-Hee Sohn
Joo Hye Sung
Yerim Kim
Minwoo Lee
Mi Sun Oh
Kyung-Ho Yu
Hee Jung Mo
Sang-Hwa Lee
Effectiveness and Safety of Endovascular Treatment in Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke with an NIHSS Score of ≤5 Exhibiting Predominant Cortical Signs
Biomedicines
large vessel occlusion stroke
endovascular treatment
cortical sign
low National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score
three-month modified Rankin scale
bleeding
title Effectiveness and Safety of Endovascular Treatment in Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke with an NIHSS Score of ≤5 Exhibiting Predominant Cortical Signs
title_full Effectiveness and Safety of Endovascular Treatment in Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke with an NIHSS Score of ≤5 Exhibiting Predominant Cortical Signs
title_fullStr Effectiveness and Safety of Endovascular Treatment in Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke with an NIHSS Score of ≤5 Exhibiting Predominant Cortical Signs
title_full_unstemmed Effectiveness and Safety of Endovascular Treatment in Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke with an NIHSS Score of ≤5 Exhibiting Predominant Cortical Signs
title_short Effectiveness and Safety of Endovascular Treatment in Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke with an NIHSS Score of ≤5 Exhibiting Predominant Cortical Signs
title_sort effectiveness and safety of endovascular treatment in large vessel occlusion stroke with an nihss score of ≤5 exhibiting predominant cortical signs
topic large vessel occlusion stroke
endovascular treatment
cortical sign
low National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score
three-month modified Rankin scale
bleeding
url https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/13/7/1700
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