Time to Treatment in Stroke Thrombectomy and Outcomes in the Extended Time Window: A Meta-Analysis.

Neurology·August 11, 2026·PMID 42475646

Why it matters

For patients with large vessel occlusion stroke presenting beyond 6 hours, advanced imaging selection identifies slow progressors who still benefit from EVT, but in-hospital delays remain harmful. This analysis clarifies that the treatment effect is not truly time-insensitive; rather, imaging-based selection resets the clock, and every effort should be made to expedite treatment once the decision is made.