ArticleClinical neuroradiology2026
Early Postthrombectomy Neurological Improvement: the NIHSS Drop as an Immediate Predictor of Good Functional Outcomes.
Article in Clinical neuroradiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
15 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeDespite advances in mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke (AIS), the relationship between successful angiographic reperfusion and functional outcome remains imperfect. We investigated the value of an optimal immediate postthrombectomy National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) cutoff, termed the "NIHSS drop," as a predictor of favorable 90-day outcome and compared its prognostic performance with first-pass effect (FPE).
methodsWe conducted a single-center retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from 554 patients with AIS who underwent mechanical thrombectomy between 2018 and 2024. Eligible patients presented with an NIHSS score > 8, an Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS) of 6-10, and M1 occlusion. Immediate postprocedural NIHSS assessment allowed calculation of the NIHSS drop. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to determine the optimal cutoff, and logistic regression was used to assess its predictive value after adjustment for complete reperfusion (Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction [TICI] grade 3 vs 2b), FPE, and other major confounders.
resultsAn NIHSS drop ≥ 6 was strongly associated with favorable outcome (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.762, sensitivity 63%, specificity 82%). Patients with an NIHSS drop ≥ 6 (n = 235) had better outcomes (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] 0-2: 83% vs 40%, p < 0.001), fewer complications, and lower median NIHSS scores at 24 h (3 vs 12) and at discharge (1 vs 5), as well as lower in-hospital mortality (1.7% vs 15%, p < 0.001) and 90-day mortality (3.0% vs 19%, p < 0.001). In multivariable analysis, an NIHSS drop ≥ 6 remained the strongest predictor of favorable outcome (odds ratio [OR] 7.21, 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.62-11.5; p < 0.001), showing a stronger association than complete reperfusion or FPE individually.
conclusionImmediate neurological improvement after thrombectomy was strongly associated with favorable functional outcome. An NIHSS drop ≥ 6 may serve as a useful early prognostic marker and may complement traditional procedural metrics such as TICI grade and FPE, although prospective validation is needed.
Indexed as
Identifiers
42010130What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.