<International Circulation>: Do we have evidence that these devices will improve outcomes in patients with ischemic stroke?

Prof. Lutsep: That has been one of the big questions raised because there has not been a randomized trial using these devices. The main evidence that we have is that in every single study that if the vessel opened the patients were more likely to have a favorable outcome than in the patients whose vessels remained occluded and mortality rates were much lower as well.