The primary outcome was a score of 0 or 1 on the modified Rankin scale, on which scores range from 0 (no symptoms) to 6 (death), at 90 days. After 225 of the planned 310 patients had been enrolled, the trial was terminated because of a loss of equipoise after the publication of positive results from a previous trial.
According to an editorial, this trial will need to be validated as it was stopped early due to the publication of results of another clinical trial, which was not truly equivalent to current trial because it targeted patients who were likely to be eligible for thrombolysis at the standard times RCTs that compare intravenous thrombolysis with thrombectomy in the late time window among patients selected on the basis of penumbra-based imaging are warranted. It notes that alternative thrombolytic agents such as tenecteplase are also being tested, and conclude that despite the work to be done, this current trial has shattered an important barrier to the treatment of acute stroke.