National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale–Time Score Predicts Outcome after Endovascular Therapy in Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Retrospective Single-Center Study

Background Outcomes after successful endovascular therapy in acute ischemic stroke are associated with onset-to-reperfusion time (ORT) and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score. In intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator therapy, the NIHSS–time score, calculated by multiplying onset-to-treatment time with the NIHSS score, has been shown to predict clinical outcomes. In this study, we assessed whether a similar combination of the ORT and the NIHSS score can be applied to predict the outcomes after endovascular therapy. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 128 consecutive ischemic stroke patients with successful reperfusion after endovascular therapy. We analyzed the association of the ORT, the NIHSS score, and the NIHSS–time score with good outcome (modified Rankin Scale score ≤ 2 at 3 months). Results Good outcome rates for patients with NIHSS–time scores of 84.7 or lower, scores higher than 84.7 up to 127.5 or lower, and scores higher than 127.5 were 72.1%, 44.2%, and 14.3%, respectively ( P Conclusions The NIHSS–time score can predict good clinical outcomes after endovascular treatment.