Predictors and Prognosis of Early Neurological Outcomes on Patients with Vertebrobasilar Artery Occlusion Undergoing Endovascular Treatment

Introduction: This research explored the factors influencing early neurological outcomes (ENO) in patients who had vertebrobasilar artery occlusion (VBAO) and received endovascular treatment (EVT), as well as examining the causal influence of ENO on the prognosis of VBAO patients. Methods: A retrospective review was carried out on patients from 65 Chinese stroke centers, all within 24 h of the estimated occlusion time. ENO includes early neurological improvement (ENI) and early neurological deterioration (END), defined as a decrease or an increase of at least 4 points in NIHSS score between baseline and 24 h after EVT. Death within 24 h after EVT was also considered as END. END was further divided into explained END and unexplained END (unEND). Independent predictors of ENO and the association between ENO and outcomes in patients with VBAO were determined using center-adjusted analyses. The study developed a multivariate logistic regression model to examine the comparative risk of unEND versus explained END on the clinical outcomes in VBAO patients. Results: A total of 2,257 patients were included. Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) (OR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.03-1.30) and successful reperfusion (OR: 1.15, 95% CI: 1.02-1.30) were associated with ENI. Baseline NIHSS (OR: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.53-0.68), successful reperfusion (OR: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.71-0.89), and puncture to reperfusion time (OR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.03-1.33) were associated with END. When examining 3-month prognostic indexes, both END and ENI were found to be linked to the 3-month outcomes, but in opposite directions. A subgroup analysis of END suggested that unEND typically demonstrated a more favorable prognosis compared to explained END, although the prognosis remained generally unfavorable. Conclusions: ENO, whether they manifested as early improvement or deterioration, were linked to the prognosis of VBAO patients undergoing EVT. The outcomes after unEND were more favorable than those following explained END.