Locked-in syndrome responding to endovascular treatment

BACKGROUND: Locked-in syndrome (LiS) is a rare and devastating condition in patients with acute basilar artery occlusion. However, the benefits of endovascular treatment (EVT) for LiS remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: To assess the outcomes associated with EVT and identify the factors associated with outcomes of LiS. METHODS: We used the data of the Endovascular Treatment for Acute Basilar Artery Occlusion Study Registry (BASILAR) from 47 tertiary stroke centers in China. The included patients had LiS and received EVT or standard medical treatment (SMT) alone. The primary outcome was improvement in the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at 90 days. RESULTS: Among the 120 patients with LiS, 92 (76.7%) received EVT and 28 (23.3%) received SMT. Compared with SMT, EVT was associated with improved mRS score (common OR (cOR)=2.68 (95% CI 1.16 to 6.20); p=0.02) and decreased mortality (aOR=0.35 (95% CI 0.13 to 0.90); p=0.03). Moreover, the benefit of EVT for LiS was sustained for at least 1 year (p=0.008). Higher baseline posterior circulation Alberta Stroke Prognosis Early CT Score (pc-ASPECTS, aOR=2.04 (95% CI 1.34 to 3.10); p<0.001) and absence of pneumonia (aOR=0.26 (95% CI 0.08 to 0.90); p=0.03) were significantly associated with favorable functional outcome at 90 days in patients who received EVT, while lower pc-ASPECTS (aOR=0.52 (95% CI 0.36 to 0.76); p<0.001) was associated with increased 90-day mortality. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that EVT was associated with favorable functional outcomes and decreased mortality among patients with LiS. Baseline pc-ASPECTS and pneumonia were independent predictors of outcomes.