Background Transradial access has been establish as a viable alternative to transfemoral access in cardiology procedures but has yet to gain popularity among neurointerventionalists.

Objective Our study aims to assess the viability and efficacy of transradial access as an alternative to transfemoral access in acute stroke interventions.

Materials and Methods Our group performed a retrospective analysis of acute stroke interventional procedures done from 2013–2016 using transradial access.

Results 28 cases were selected for review. Transradial access was used as primary access in 14 cases. 75% of cases resulted in TICI scores of 2b or greater, 1 case was unsuccessful, and 1 case had a local access complication. 19 patients were female, age range was 40–99, 14 patients had Type III aortic arches, 10 patients had Type II aortic arches, and 8 patients has bovine arches (5 Type II, 3 Type III).

Conclusion Transradial access can serve as a viable alternative to transfemoral access in acute stroke interventions. This approach is safe and effective and offers certain advantages over transfemoral access. Transradial access may be especially helpful in certain patients, namely those with complex or unfavorable anatomy of the aortic arch or the femoral vasculature. Our operators feel that transradial access makes a worthwhile addition to the neurointerventionalist’s toolkit to be used as a primary approach or as a rescue for those circumstances in which transfemoral access proves complex or impossible.

Disclosures J. Farkas: 2; C; Penumbra Inc.