Transcarotid Endovascular Thrombectomy for Acute Ischemic Stroke

Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) via a transfemoral approach can be extremely time-consuming or even impossible. This brief review presents 7 transcarotid EVT procedures in which reperfusion graded as 2b or 3 on the Thrombolysis In Cerebral Infarction scale was achieved. Neck hematoma in need of treatment occurred in 1 patient. Two patients died. In the remaining patients, clinical outcome was graded as a modified Rankin scale score of 3 or less. The results suggest that transcarotid access may be a realistic option for EVT when transfemoral catheterization of the internal carotid artery is not feasible.