{
  "abstract": "Over 100 000 people suffer a stroke every year in the UK.1 2 Ischaemic strokes account for ~85% of all strokes, with a third of these being caused by a large vessel occlusion (LVO).3 LVO strokes are associated with higher rates of death and severe neurological disability.4 Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is a clot retrieval procedure which has revolutionised the treatment of LVO stroke, with a number needed to treat to reduce disability of 3.5 It is an evidence-based treatment that can save the NHS £47 000 per patient, over 5 years.6 Given that up to 15% of all stroke patients (~15 000 people) could benefit from this treatment annually in the UK,7 the return on any investment to deliver this brain-saving treatment is unquestionable. Currently, the percentage of stroke patients receiving MT in the UK falls well below this threshold.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Imperial College London, London, UK",
        "Department of Stroke and Neuroscience, Imperial College London NHS Healthcare Trust, London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Soma Banerjee"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Imperial College London, London, UK",
        "Department of Stroke and Neuroscience, Imperial College London NHS Healthcare Trust, London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Kyriakos Lobotesis"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Imperial College London, London, UK",
        "Department of Stroke and Neuroscience, Imperial College London NHS Healthcare Trust, London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Joseph Kwan"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Camerons Stiff & Co, London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Alan Isaacs"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Stroke Medicine, Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Wirral, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Deborah Lowe"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Access to mechanical thrombectomy for stroke in the UK: the unacceptable postcode lottery",
  "uid": "2b5b9ae4-5241-534a-a010-62ab77ca908a"
}