Abstract TP17: The Smoking-Thrombolysis Paradox: a Matched Case-Control Study

Background and Purpose: Smoking is a well-established risk factor for stroke. However, several studies have shown that smokers with stroke have better outcomes after thrombolysis, a phenomenon commonly known as the smoking-thrombolysis paradox. We investigated whether clinical and procedural outcomes differ between smokers and non-smokers with large vessel occlusion stroke after endovascular therapy. Methods: We reviewed our prospectively collected endovascular database at a tertiary care academic institution between Sep 2010-Dec 2016. All patients that underwent endovascular therapy for anterior circulation large vessel occlusion acute ischemic stroke were included and categorized into two groups: (1) current smokers and (2) non-smokers. The 2 groups were then matched for age, baseline NIHSS and glucose levels using a weighted Euclidian distance method. Baseline, procedural, and radiological characteristics, as well as outcome parameters were compared. Results: A total of 326 (163 matched pairs) qualifie...