Thrombectomy or intravenous thrombolysis in patients with NIHSS of 5 or less?

To compare outcomes of minor stroke patients with intracranial vessel occlusions (IVO) underwent mechanical thrombectomy (MT) versus those treated with intravenous thrombolysis alone (IVT) Methods: We retrospectively reviewed two large prospective stroke databases from two European centers searching for patients admitted with minor stroke (i.e. NIHSS score ≤ 5), baseline mRS = 0 and occlusion of the M1-M2 segment of the middle cerebral artery (MCA). Groups receiving (A) IVT alone and (B) MT+/-IVT were compared. Primary outcome measures were MT safety, successful recanalization rate (mTICI 2b-3) and NIHSS shift (discharge NIHSS minus admission NIHSS); secondary outcomes included discharge rates and excellent outcome (mRS 0-1) at 3 months. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed.