DIFFERENCES IN OUTCOMES BETWEEN MALES AND FEMALES WITH ACUTE STROKE TREATED WITH MECHANICAL THROMBECTOMY OR INTRAVENOUS THROMBOLYSIS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Introduction: Multiple studies have shown that following acute stroke, females tend to have poor outcomes as compared to males. Our study aims to discover whether these differences in outcomes are associated with the type of treatment, either mechanical thrombectomy or intravenous thrombolysis, received by the females. Methods: As per the PRISMA guidelines, we searched the PubMed/Medline and Google scholar databases to identify studies that reported differences in outcomes between males and females with stroke, undergoing either mechanical thrombectomy or intravenous thrombolysis. Results: Nine studies met out eligibility criteria, including a total of 17648 participants, out of which 9798 (55.52%) were males and 7850 (44.48%) were females. Seven studies stated that males and females had similar treatment outcomes post stroke, while two studies stated that males had better treatment outcomes as compared to females. Conclusion: We strongly suggest the need to investigate the specific cause(s) of these outcome discrepancies between males and females, and to tailor a sex-specific treatment protocol to optimize care and improve outcomes for both sexes, with particular attention to improving outcomes in females.