Lower admission stroke severity is associated with good collateral status in distal medium vessel occlusion stroke

Background and Purpose Distal medium vessel occlusions (DMVOs) are a significant contributor to acute ischemic stroke (AIS), with collateral status (CS) playing a pivotal role in modulating ischemic damage progression. We aimed to explore baseline characteristics associated with CS in AIS‐DMVO. Methods This retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected database enrolled 130 AIS‐DMVO patients from two comprehensive stroke centers. Baseline characteristics, including patient demographics, admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, admission Los Angeles Motor Scale (LAMS) score, and co‐morbidities, including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, and history of transient ischemic attack or stroke, were collected. The analysis was dichotomized to good CS, reflected by hypoperfusion index ratio (HIR)