Balloon guide catheter use in mechanical thrombectomy linked to clinical and angiographic outcomes

The use of balloon guide catheters (BGCs) during mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke is associated with superior clinical and angiographic outcomes, concludes a systematic review and meta-analysis recently published by JNIS and discussed in this podcast. Waleed Brinjikji (Departments of Radiology and Neurosurgery of the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA) tells the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Felipe Albuquerque the details of his paper ‘Impact of balloon guide catheter on technical and clinical outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis’. Read the Editor’s Choice of April 2018: http://jnis.bmj.com/content/10/4/335