To investigate the relationship between severe bleeding complications and outcome after mechanical thrombectomy with or without glycoprotein-IIb/IIIa inhibitor tirofiban treatment.

The study included prospectively collected data of consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke in whom mechanical thrombectomy was perfomed in the years 2006 to 2011.

Of 162 patients, 128 patients had anterior circulation stroke, and 34 patients had posterior circulation stroke. Additional treatment with tirofiban was given to 30 of 128 patients with anterior circulation stroke and to 20 of 34 patients with posterior circulation stroke. Treatment with tirofiban did not influence recanalization rates. Fatal intracerebral hemorrhage occurred more frequently in tirofiban-treated patients in the entire cohort (12.0% vs 2.7%; P=0.03) and in tirofiban-treated patients with anterior circulation stroke (13.3% vs 3.1%; P=0.05). Logistic regression found age (odds ratio, 1.17; 95% confidence interval, 1.00–1.37; P=0.05) and tirofiban treatment (odds ratio, 3.03; 95% confidence interval, 1.50–4.05; P=0.04) to be independent predictors for fatal intracerebral hemorrhage. Tirofiban treatment was also an independent predictor for poor outcome (odds ratio, 6.60; 95% confidence interval, 1.06–41.52; P=0.04) in addition to National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (odds ratio, 1.08; 95% confidence interval, 1.00–1.17; P=0.05).

In endovascular stroke therapy, additional treatment with the glycoprotein-IIb/IIIa inhibitor tirofiban is associated with increased risk of fatal intracerebral hemorrhage and poor outcome.