Univariate comparison of the balloon guide catheter group compared with the non-balloon guide catheter group in anterior circulation cases
| Variable | BGC (n=279) (n (%)) | Non-BGC (n=257) (n (%)) | P value |
| Demographics | |||
| Age (years) (mean (SD)) | 65.4 (15.3) | 68.1 (13.6) | 0.03 |
| Women | 138 (49.5) | 128 (49.8) | 0.94 |
| Black | 53 (19.0) | 52 (20.2) | 0.94 |
| Vascular risk factors | |||
| Hypertension | 200 (71.7) | 202 (78.6) | 0.06 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 127 (45.6) | 99 (38.5) | 0.09 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 71 (25.4) | 63 (24.5) | 0.80 |
| Hyperlipidemia | 144 (51.6) | 120 (46.7) | 0.26 |
| Smoking | 67 (24.0) | 57 (22.2) | 0.65 |
| Coronary artery disease | 61 (29.8) | 66 (30.3) | 0.91 |
| Clinical presentation | |||
| Time onset to groin (min) (mean (SD)) | 356.7 (218.0) | 319.3 (239.3) | 0.06 |
| NIHSS score (mean (SD)) | 16.7 (6.0) | 17.6 (6.0) | 0.07 |
| NIHSS score (median (IQR)) | 17(13-21) | 18(14-22) | 0.07 |
| IV tPA administered | 159 (57.0) | 129 (50.2) | 0.13 |
| Location of thrombus | |||
| MCA | 225 (80.6) | 206 (80.2) | 0.89 |
| M1 | 176 (63.1) | 167 (65.0) | 0.64 |
| M2 | 47 (16.9) | 35 (13.6) | 0.30 |
| ICA | 53 (19.0) | 47 (18.3) | 0.83 |
| Technical factors | |||
| General anesthesia | 162 (58.1) | 153 (59.5) | 0.73 |
| IA tPA | 61 (21.9) | 53 (20.6) | 0.76 |
| Intermediate/aspiration catheter use | 32 (12.1) | 97 (42.4) | <0.001 |
n=536/634; BGC=279/536 (52.1%).
BGC, balloon guide catheter; GA, general anesthesia; ICA, internal carotid artery; IA, intra-arterial; IV, intravenous; MCA, middle cerebral artery; NIHSS, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale; tPA tissue plasminogen activator.