Cost-Utility Analysis of Mechanical Thrombectomy Using Stent Retrievers in Acute Ischemic Stroke

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Recently, 5 randomized controlled trials demonstrated the benefit of endovascular therapy compared with intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator in acute stroke. Economic evidence evaluating stent retrievers is limited. We compared the cost-effectiveness of intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator alone versus mechanical thrombectomy and intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator as a bridging therapy in eligible patients in the UK National Health Service. METHODS A model-based cost-utility analysis was performed using a lifetime horizon. A Markov model was constructed and populated with probabilities, outcomes, and cost data from published sources, including 1-way and probabilistic sensitivity analysis. RESULTS Mechanical thrombectomy was more expensive than intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator, but it improved quality-adjusted life expectancy. The incremental cost per (quality-adjusted life year) gained of mechanical thrombectomy over a 20 year period was $11 651 (£7061). The probabilistic sensitivity analysis demonstrated that thrombectomy had a 100% probability of being cost-effective at the minimum willingness to pay for a quality-adjusted life year commonly used in United Kingdom. CONCLUSIONS Although the upfront costs of thrombectomy are high, the potential quality-adjusted life year gains mean this intervention is cost-effective. This is an important factor for consideration in deciding whether to commission this intervention.