Endovascular thrombectomy for ischemic stroke in the elderly

Shahram Majidi, MD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, discusses a real-world investigation into national trends in the utilization and outcomes of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke in the elderly. The rate of stroke is higher in the elderly and yet, octogenarians and nonagenarians are under-represented in major EVT clinical trials. With an aging population, assessing the use of EVT in this population is of critical importance. Using data from a large national database, it was demonstrated that the use of EVT in the elderly doubled from 2014 to 2016. The rate of good outcomes was significantly lower than in younger patients, but fewer comorbidities predicted increased chances of a good outcome. This interview took place during the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 2021 Annual Meeting.