Two-Year Outcome after Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke.

BackgroundSeveral trials involving patients with acute ischemic stroke have shown better functional outcomes with endovascular treatment than with conventional treatment at 90 days after initiation of treatment. However, results on long-term clinical outcomes are lacking. MethodsWe assessed clinical outcomes 2 years after patients were randomly assigned to receive either endovascular treatment (intervention group) or conventional treatment (control group) for acute ischemic stroke. The primary outcome was the score on the modified Rankin scale at 2 years; this scale measures functional outcome, with scores ranging from 0 (no symptoms) to 6 (death). Secondary outcomes included all-cause mortality and the quality of life at 2 years, as measured by means of a health utility index that is based on the European Quality of Life–5 Dimensions questionnaire (scores range from −0.329 to 1, with higher scores indicating better health). ResultsOf the 500 patients who underwent randomization in the original trial, 2-y...