Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) has changed the standard of care for patients presenting with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). The window of treatment has significantly increased the number of patients who would benefit from intervention and operators may be confronted with patients harboring preexistent neurological disorders. Still, the epidemiology of patients with AIS and neurological disorders has not been established. METHODS: This is a retrospective study, which utilizes data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) between 2012 and 2016. Patients with the major neurological comorbidities in the study were included: Alzheimer's dementia (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS), and myasthenia gravis (MG). These patients were divided into groups and analyzed based on discharged home status, length of hospital stay (LOS), and inpatient mortality. These outcomes were also compared between patients who underwent MT versus those who did not. RESULTS: In this study, 460,070 patients with AIS were identified and included. MT was performed less often when the patient had a neurological diagnosis compared to those without a neurological disease (p<0.0001). However, patients with AIS who have underlying neurological disorders such as AD, PD, and MS have shown similar outcomes after MT to those who do not have these disorders. CONCLUSION: Patients with preexisting neurological disorders were less likely to undergo MT. Further studies are required to elucidate the implications of having a neurological disorder in the setting of an AIS.