Authors:Sunny Ssu-Yu Chen 1,2,3Affiliations:Institute of Neuroscience, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, 11230, Taiwan.School of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, 40201, Taiwan.Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, 40201, TaiwanCorresponding author: Dr. Sunny Ssu-Yu Chen: No.155, Sec.2, Linong Street, Taipei, 11230, Taiwan; TEL: 886-2- 28267000#66134, E-mail: k95081@gmail.comConflict of interest : The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.Dear Editor,We recently had the privilege of reading the article by Salim et al. [1], which integrates data from the Multicenter Analysis of Primary Distal Medium Vessel Occlusions: Effect of Mechanical Thrombectomy (MAD-MT) Registry across 37 centers in North America, Asia, and Europe. The study explores the management of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) due to distal medium vessel occlusion (DMVO), comparing endovascular therapy (EVT) with medical management (MM) to assess which approach is superior. The article mentions that after applying Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighting (IPTW), the EVT group showed better mRS scores and lower mortality rates. This finding suggests that EVT can be a preferred treatment for DMVO, improving patient outcomes. However, after reviewing the study, we believe there are several issues worth further consideration.Firstly, we would like to address some statistical issues in the study. The authors mention that IPTW was primarily used to balance patient characteristics between the groups. Although IPTW adjusts for missing data through inverse probability weighting (IPW), this method may not be entirely accurate [2]. A more precise approach would be for the researchers to perform adjustments and analyses of missing data directly to obtain more accurate results.Secondly, the authors included baseline comorbidities, medication use, and baseline mRS as covariates in propensity score matching (PSM) to enhance the matching of patient characteristics between the two groups. However, prior research has identified strong correlates such as chronic kidney disease [3] and other established cardiovascular diseases [4,5], such as coronary artery disease, which were not considered in this study. We suggest that these factors should be incorporated into the analysis to avoid potential bias from unmeasured confounders.Finally, we have some concerns regarding the classification of patients in the study. Although the primary focus of this study is on the impact of EVT on patient outcomes, there appear to be other differences in treatment between the groups. For example, in Table 2, there is a noticeable difference in the use of intravenous thrombolytics (IVT) between the two groups. Previous research suggests that the use of IVT may influence patient outcomes [5]. Therefore, we recommend that, when comparing the EVT and MM groups, the treatment variables should be controlled for to ensure a more accurate comparison.Overall, we are honored to have read Salim et al. [1] and to gain further insights into the management of DMVO. The suggestions we have made do not diminish the value of this important study but rather aim to contribute to future research improvements and directions.References:Salim HA, Pulli B, Yedavalli V, et al. Endovascular therapy versus medical management in isolated posterior cerebral artery acute ischemic stroke: A multinational multicenter propensity score-weighted study. Eur Stroke J. Published online October 21, 2024.Lunceford JK, Davidian M. Stratification and weighting via the propensity score in estimation of causal treatment effects: a comparative study [published correction appears in Stat Med. 2017 Jun 30;36(14):2320.Chen Y, Wright N, Guo Y, et al. Mortality and recurrent vascular events after first incident stroke: a 9-year community-based study of 0·5 million Chinese adults. Lancet Glob Health. 2020;8(4):e580-e590.Romoli M, Matteo E, Migliaccio L, et al. Thrombolysis after dabigatran reversal: A nation-wide Italian multicentre study, systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur Stroke J. 2023;8(1):117-124.Suzuki K, Matsumaru Y, Takeuchi M, et al. Effect of Mechanical Thrombectomy Without vs With Intravenous Thrombolysis on Functional Outcome Among Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke: The SKIP Randomized Clinical Trial [published correction appears in JAMA. 2021 May 4;325(17):1795. doi: 10.1001/jama.2021.5454]. JAMA. 2021;325(3):244-253.