Current Status of Recanalization Therapy in Acute Ischemic Stroke with Symptomatic Intracranial Arterial Occlusion in Korea Min Uk Jang, MD,* Jeong-Ho Hong, MD,† Jihoon Kang, MD,† Beom Joon Kim, MD,† Moon-Ku Han, MD,† Byung-Chul Lee, MD,‡ Kyung-Ho Yu, MD,‡ Mi Sun Oh, MD,‡ Keun-Sik Hong, MD,x Yong-Jin Cho, MD,x Jong-Moo Park, MD,k Kyusik Kang, MD,k Jae Kwan Cha, MD,{ Dae-Hyun Kim, MD,{ Tai Hwan Park, MD,# Kyung Bok Lee, MD,** Soo Joo Lee, MD,†† Youngchai Ko, MD,†† Jun Lee, MD,‡‡ Ki-Hyun Cho, MD,xx Joon-Tae Kim, MD,xx Juneyoung Lee, MD, PhD,kk Ji Sung Lee, MD, PhD,{{ and Hee-Joon Bae, MD† Background: Recent methodological advances in recanalization therapy may alter recanalization strategies and clinical outcomes in patients with symptomatic occlu- sion of intracranial cerebral arteries. However, few studies have analyzed these changes at a national level, with none conducted in Korea. Methods: On the basis of a prospective multicenter stroke registry database in Korea, 642 consecutive pa- tients hospitalized within 12 hours of the onset with symptomatic occlusion of intra- cranial major cerebral arteries between March 2010 and November 2011 were identified. Recanalization therapy was used in 48% (n 5 307) of patients; intrave- nous thrombolysis only (IVT) in 46%, intra-arterial thrombolysis only (IAT) in 16%, and combined thrombolysis (CMT) in 38%. Of the 166 patients treated by IATor CMT, the Penumbra system or the Solitaire was used in 58% of patients. Re- sults: Early neurologic improvement (ENI), 3-month modified Rankin scale (mRS) score of 2 or less, and symptomatic hemorrhagic transformation (SHT) were observed in 43%, 39%, and 9% of the patients in the IVT group; 52%, 27%, and 12% of the patients in the IAT group; and 54%, 39%, and 12% of the patients in the CMT group, respectively. Compared with no treatment, adjusted odd ratios (95% confidence intervals) of recanalization therapy were 1.59 (1.04-2.42) for ENI, From the *Department of Neurology, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Chuncheon; †Department of Neurology, Seoul Na- tional University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam; ‡Department of Neurology, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Anyang; xDepartment of Neurology, Ilsan Paik Hospital, Inje University, Goyang; kDepartment of Neurology, Eulji General Hospital, Eulji University School of Medicine, Seoul; {Department of Neurology, Dong-A University Hospital, Pusan; #Department of Neurology, Seoul Medical Center, Seoul; **Department of Neurology, Soonchun- hyang University College of Medicine, Seoul; ††Department of Neurology, Eulji University Hospital, Eulji University School of Med- icine, Daejeon; ‡‡Department of Neurology, Yeungnam University Medical Center, Daegu; xxDepartment of Neurology, Chonnam Na- tional University Hospital, Gwangju; kkDepartment of Biostatistics, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul; and {{Biostatistical Consulting Unit, Soonchunhyang University Medical Center of Biostatistics, Seoul, Korea. Received October 21, 2013; revision received December 9, 2013; accepted December 16, 2013. This study was supported by a grant of the Korea Healthcare Tech- nology R&D Project, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Ko- rea (HI10C2020). Address correspondence to Hee-Joon Bae, MD, Department of Neurology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, 82 Gumi- ro 173 Beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do 463-707, Korea. E-mail: braindoc@snu.ac.kr . 1052-3057/$ - see front matter Ó 2014 by National Stroke Association http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2013.12.027 Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, Vol. 23, No. 5 (May-June), 2014: pp e339-e346 e339