Table A1:
GRADE Evidence Profile for Comparison of Mechanical Thrombectomy and IVT on Clinical Outcomes
| Number of Studies (Design) | Risk of Bias | Inconsistency | Indirectness | Imprecision | Publication Bias | Upgrade Considerations | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Functional Independence (mRS) | |||||||
| 5 (RCTs) | No serious limitations | No serious limitations | No serious limitations | No serious limitationsa | Undetected | No other considerations | ⊕⊕⊕⊕ High |
| Mortality | |||||||
| 5 (RCTs) | No serious limitations | No serious limitations | No serious limitations | Serious limitations (−1)a | Undetected | No other considerations | ⊕⊕⊕ Moderate |
| SICH | |||||||
| 5 (RCTs) | No serious limitations | No serious limitations | No serious limitations | Serious limitations (−1)a | Undetected | No other considerations | ⊕⊕⊕ Moderate |
| Quality of Life | |||||||
| 3 (RCTs) | No serious limitations | No serious limitations | No serious limitations | Serious limitations (−1)a | Undetected | No other considerations | ⊕⊕⊕ Moderate |
| Reperfusion | |||||||
| 5 (RCTs) | No serious limitations | No serious limitations | No serious limitationsb | Serious limitations (−1)a | Undetected | No other considerations | ⊕⊕⊕ Moderate |
| Recanalization | |||||||
| 3 (RCTs) | No serious limitations | No serious limitations | Serious limitations (−1)c | Serious limitations (−1)a | Undetected | No other considerations | ⊕⊕ Low |
Abbreviations: GRADE, Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation; IVT, intravenous thrombolysis; mRS, modified Rankin Scale; SICH, symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage; RCT, randomized controlled trial.
a
Optimal information size may not be met for this outcome, as four out of five RCTs were stopped early.
b
Reperfusion can be considered a surrogate outcome.
c
Recanalization can be considered a surrogate outcome.