Patients

This was a prospective study conducted in three stroke units in China (Nanjing First Hospital, People's Hospital of Hunan Province and Changsha Central Hospital). The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee at the local hospital. Written informed consent was obtained before enrollment. We analyzed clinical and radiological data for all consecutive patients with AIS who underwent MT from January 2014 to December 2018. Patients were considered eligible for MT if they met the following criteria: (1) had a primary diagnosis of AIS; (2) age ≥ 18 years; (3) onset of acute neurological symptoms <6 h; (4) intracranial large artery occlusion; (5) had a prestroke modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 0–2; (6) National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score ≥ 5 on admission. Exclusion criteria were: (1) history of intracranial hemorrhage before thrombectomy; (2) history of active bleeding or major surgery within 30 days; (3) platelet count <100 × 10⁹/L; (4) blood glucose concentration <2.8 mmol/L or >22.0 mmol/L; (5) severe hepatic or renal dysfunction. Arterial occlusion site was assessed by computed tomographic angiography (CTA), magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), or digital subtraction angiography (DSA). The stroke etiology were classified according to the Trial of ORG 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) criteria: LAA, CE, and stroke of other determined or undetermined cause. Definitions of LAA and CE are shown in Supplementary File.