Efficacy of intravenous thrombolysis combined with mechanical stent interventional thrombectomy on acute ischemic stroke

BACKGROUND: To investigate the efficacy and safety of intravenous thrombolysis combined with mechanical stent interventional thrombectomy in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was carried out for clinical data of 118 patients with acute ischemic stroke. The patients enrolled were divided into control group (recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) intravenous thrombolysis) and thrombectomy group (mechanical stent interventional thrombectomy based on rt-PA intravenous thrombolysis). The vascular recanalization rate and clinical efficacy after treatment were compared between the two groups. National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was used to identify the degree of neurological impairment in all patients before and after treatment, and Barthel Index was used to assess their activity of daily living. Moreover, the changes in the levels of T-lymphocyte subpopulation in peripheral blood and immuno-inflammatory factors before and after treatment were compared, and prognosis of patients and incidence of adverse reactions were recorded. RESULTS: The response rate inthrombectomy group (93.2%) was significantly better than that in control group (76.3%). The NIHSS sore and modified Rankin scale (mRS) score after treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment, while the Barthel Index after treatment was distinctly higher than that before treatment. The NIHSS score and mRS score in thrombectomy group obviously declined compared with those in control group at 1 month after treatment. The Barthel Index in thrombectomy group was obviously higher than that in control group at 1 month and 2 months after treatment. Levels of cluster of differentiation 3 (CD3)+, CD3+CD4+, CD4+/CD8+ and natural killer (NK) cells in peripheral blood at 6 months after treatment evidently rose compared with those before treatment, while level of CD3+CD8+ evidently declined compared with that before treatment. In thrombectomy group, levels of CD3+, CD3+CD4+, CD4+/CD8+ and NK cells were markedly higher than those in control group, while the level of CD3+CD8+ was markedly lower than that in control group. Besides, in thrombectomy group, levels of serum osteopontin (OPN), malondialdehyde (MDA) and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) were evidently lower than those in control group at 1 month after treatment, while the level of serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) was evidently higher than that in control group. Compared with that in control group, the acute vascular reocclusion rate in thrombectomy group was significantly decreased at 3 months after treatment (10.2% vs. 22.0%). CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous thrombolysis combined with mechanical stent interventional thrombectomy can effectively promote the vascular recanalization, improve the neurological function and activity of daily living of patients, reinforce the immunological function, inhibit the oxidative stress response and improve the prognosis of patients.