Patients

An analysis was performed to determine patients who underwent MT retrospectively. Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and baseline parameters were prospectively analyzed from the database. Patients (18-80 years) with MCA M1 occlusions and proper DSA documentation were included in the study. In this procedure, superior and inferior divisions of M1 were detected after the recanalization view in post-thrombectomy of DSA.

Patients were excluded from the study if they had an occlusion of artery other than MCA M1, were treated with only 1 aspiration technique (a direct aspiration first pass technique technique (ADAPT)), and had no decided superior and inferior branches anatomically. The successful recanalization was defined with a modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (mTICI) score (mTICI ≥ 2b). According to the Declaration of Helsinki guidelines, ethics approval was received for the acquisition of patient data from the local ethics committees with the date April 3, 2019 and number 2019/160. Informed consent was obtained from all patients in writing before the procedure and this information was stated in the permission of the ethics committee.

Evaluation of MCA anatomy was performed using the following steps:

(a) Determination of superior branch by microcatheter injection. (b) Determination of inferior branch by microcatheter injection.

Divisions of MCA were assigned to the 2 groups as superior and inferior divisions according to the anatomical classification.