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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 January 2022
Background: Practice-changing trials of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for acute stroke excluded patients with pre-morbid disability. Observational studies may inform the role of EVT in this population. We performed a meta-analysis to estimate the effect of EVT in patients with pre-morbid disability. Methods: We adhered to PRISMA guidelines and searched Medline and Embase for studies describing EVT in adults with and without pre-morbid disability with stroke. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to pool outcomes, including favorable outcomes (mRS=0-2 or return to baseline), no increase in disability at 90 days, symptomatic ICH (sICH) and 90-day mortality. Results: We included 8 studies with 5570 patients (mRS 3-5=863, mRS 0-2=4,707). Patients with pre-morbid disability were more likely to return to their baseline mRS (aOR 2.53, 95% CI=1.47-4.36), although they had higher 90-day mortality (aOR=2.21, 95% CI=1.66-2.93). aOR for favorable outcome (aOR=0.83, 95% CI=0.67-1.03) or sICH (aOR=1.07, 95% CI=0.74-1.54) was not significantly different between groups. Conclusions: Observational studies suggest that EVT is safe in patients with pre-stroke disability and may result in comparable return to pre-stroke status as in patients without such disability. These findings argue against the routine exclusion of patients with pre-morbid disability from EVT and merit validation with randomized controlled trials.