Mechanical thrombectomy with intra-arterial alteplase provided better functional outcomes for AIS-LVO: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Several clinical trials have shown that intra-arterial thrombolysis using alteplase during mechanical thrombectomy (MT) has a better outcome than MT alone in ischemic stroke management. We performed the current meta-analysis to estimate the efficacy and safety of MT with intra-arterial alteplase therapy. METHODS: The MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched up to Mar. 2022 to identify the clinical trials that compared MT alone versus MT with intra-arterial alteplase therapy. STATA 16.0 was used for statistical analysis. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were calculated with a random effect model. RESULTS: Seven studies involving 1,083 participants were included. The primary outcomes were better functional outcomes, defined as a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score between 0 and 2 at 90 days, and successful recanalization, defined as a modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (mTICI) score ≥ 2b. Compared to MT alone, MT with intra-arterial alteplase did not lead to higher mTICI scores (OR 1.58, 95%CI 0.94 to 2.67, p = 0.085, I(2) = 16.8%) but did lead to better mRS (OR 1.37, 95%CI 1.01 to 1.86, p = 0.044). There was no increase in mortality or bleeding events in the overall or subgroup analyses. CONCLUSION: MT with intra-arterial alteplase did not improve the recanalization rate but provided better functional outcomes. The intervention did not increase adverse effects in any subgroup at the same time. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: http://inplasy.com, identifier INPLASY202240027.