Categorical outcomes
| Number of studies | BGC | No BGC | OR (95% CI) | p Value | I2 | |
| First-pass recanalization | 3 | 63.1% | 45.2% | 2.05 (1.65 to 2.55) | <0.01 | 10% |
| TICI 3 | 2 | 57.9% | 38.2% | 2.13 (1.43 to 3.17) | <0.01 | 0% |
| TICI 2b/3 | 4 | 78.9% | 67.0% | 1.54 (1.21 to 1.97) | <0.01 | 67% |
| mRS 0–2 | 4 | 59.7% | 43.8% | 1.84 (1.52 to 2.22) | <0.01 | 0% |
| Mortality | 3 | 13.7% | 24.8% | 0.52 (0.37 to 0.73) | <0.01 | 50% |
BGC, balloon guide catheter; mRS, modified Rankin Scale; NIHSS, NIH Stroke Scale.