Intravenous thrombolysis before endovascular therapy for large vessel strokes can lead to significantly higher hospital costs without improving outcomes.
Ansaar T RaiSoHyun BooChelsea BusemanAmelia K AdcockAbdul R TarabishyMaurice M MillerThomas D RobertsJennifer R DomicoJeffrey S CarpenterPublished in: Journal of neurointerventional surgery (2017)
IV rt-PA did not improve recanalization, thrombectomy efficacy, functional outcomes, or length of stay. Combined therapy was associated with significantly higher total and direct hospital costs than endovascular therapy alone.