Endovascular therapy in basilar artery occlusion: the story so far

The multicenter, prospective, randomized, controlled ATTENTION trial (NCT04751708) of endovascular treatment for acute basilar artery occlusion (BAO) was reported at ESOC 2022. A significant difference in favorable outcomes was reported in the thrombectomy group compared to best medical management (46% vs. 24%), as well as lower mortality rates. Raul Nogueira, MD, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, talks on the history of investigations into endovascular thrombectomy for stroke that led to where we are today. Two recent randomized trials, BEST (NCT02441556) and BASICS (NCT01717755), showed no significant difference between endovascular treatment and best medical management. Prof. Nogueira comments on the likely reasons for this and subsequent efforts to avoid the same issues in the ATTENTION trial. This interview took place at European Stroke Organisation Conference 2022 in Lyon, France.