Health-related quality of life after direct endovascular thrombectomy and bridging therapy: findings of DIRECT-MT trial

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The DIRECT-MT study compared health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes between endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) alone and bridging therapy.
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Overall HRQoL at 90 days was similar between EVT alone and bridging therapy, with median EQ-5D scores of 0.84 and 0.85, respectively.
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Baseline stroke severity influenced the treatment-EQ-5D association, with bridging therapy showing higher HRQoL in moderate-to-severe stroke patients.
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Exploratory analyses indicated that bridging therapy was favored among patients with near-complete independence, while EVT alone had lower EQ-5D in favorable outcomes.
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Dimension-level analyses revealed that EVT alone was linked to lower odds of symptom-free mobility and usual activities in near-independent patients.

Frontiers In Neurology

by Renjun Gu, Meihua Huyan, Hongjian Zhang, Fang Shen, Hongjian Shen, Zifu Li, Pengfei Xing, Weilong Hua, Yongxin Zhang, Jianmin Liu, Pengfei Yang, Lei Zhang, Yongwei Zhang
May 25, 2026

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