{ "abstract": "Introduction: Access to mechanical thrombectomy (MT) remains limited in many low- and middle-income or resource-limited regions because of gaps in trained personnel, procedural experience, public awareness, and stroke-system readiness. The World Stroke Organization paired simulation-based MT workshops with the Global Stroke Alliance to combine hands-on neurointerventional education with regional advocacy, Ministry of Health engagement, public awareness activities, and stakeholder collaboration. This study evaluated the feasibility, scalability, and self-reported educational impact of MT workshops delivered within this broader WSO/GSA capacity-building framework.\n\nMethods: A comprehensive 22-h curriculum was developed, incorporating didactic sessions, hands-on simulations, and complex case studies in collaboration with the Global Stroke Alliance between August 2023 and July 2025. The workshops were designed for neurointerventional physicians and tailored to regional needs. Pre- and post-course assessments measured physician confidence in MT procedures, while a three-month follow-up survey evaluated changes in MT volumes and clinical practice. Data were analyzed using summary statistics, chi-square tests, and McNemar’s tests as appropriate.\n\nResults: Among 112 participating physicians from 24 countries, 81% completed the pre-test and 72% completed the post-test; 67% had paired pre- and post-test responses. The proportion of participants rating themselves as “very comfortable” increased from 15% pre-workshop to 41% post-workshop ( p < 0.001), with notable improvements in patient selection for MT (15–48%, p < 0.001), procedural access knowledge (15–46%, p < 0.001), thrombectomy technique (9–41%, p < 0.001), and avoiding harmful maneuvers (7–33%, p < 0.001). At 3 months, 32 participants completed follow-up, of whom 37.5% self-reported an increase in overall thrombectomy numbers.\n\nConclusion: Simulation-based MT workshops are feasible and scalable across multiple regions and were associated with improved self-reported procedural confidence and early self-reported changes in clinical practice. These findings support structured hands-on training as one component of broader capacity-building efforts, while highlighting the need for objective procedural volume, patient outcome, and registry-based data to determine the effect of such programs on MT access and stroke care delivery.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [ "Semmes-Murphey Clinic, University of Tennessee Health Science Center , , ,", "Neurology Division, Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital , , ,", "St Michaels’s Hospital , , ,", "Jackson North , , ,", "Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami , , ,", "Shaio Clinic Foundation , ,", "Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , , ,", "Autonomous University of Bucaramanga , ,", "Northwell Health , , ,", "Division of Neurocritical Care, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine , , ,", "Hospital Vall d’Hebron , ,", "Neurointerventional Unit, Hospital Clinico Universitario San Carlos , ,", "Department of Radiology (S.G.), IAU Stroke Center, Istanbul Aydin University , ,", "Department of Neurology, Alexandria University , ,", "Department of Neurology, Bakırköy Research and Training Hospital for Psychiatry, Neurology, Neurosurgery , ,", "Department of Interventional Radiology, Ba¸skent University Dr. Turgut Noyan Application and Research Center , ,", "Eskisehir Osmangazi University , ,", "Department of Neurointerventional Surgery, Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre , , ,", "Department of Interventional Neurology, Mazumdar Shaw Medical Center, Narayana Health Institute of Neuroscience , ,", "Department of Neurosciences and Behavioral Sciences, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo , ,", "Department of Neurointervention Surgery, Neurointervention Surgery, Institute of Neurosciences, Medanta, The Medicity Gurugram , , ,", "Department of Neurology, Dr Lutfi Kirdar City Hospital , ,", "Department of Neurology, Gaziantep University , ,", "Departments of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Radiology, Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center, Grady Memorial Hospital, Emory University School of Medicine , , ,", "Department of Interventional Neuroradiology, Gold Coast University Hospital , , ,", "Neurological Intervention and Imaging Service of Western Australia (NIISWA) , , ,", "Paras Health , , ,", "St Michaels’ Hospital , , ,", "Stroke Center Bach Mai Hospital , ,", "Department of Neurology, Christian Medical College and Hospital Ludhiana , ,", "Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul , ," ], "article_type": "research article", "arxiv": null, "author_total": 34, "authors": [ { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Violiza Inoa" }, { "affs": [ 1 ], "name": "Ryna Then" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Nicole M. Cancelliere" }, { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Nitin Goyal" }, { "affs": [ 3 ], "name": "Karelle Spence" }, { "affs": [ 4 ], "name": "Michael J. Wells" }, { "affs": [ 5 ], "name": "Andres Fonnegra" }, { "affs": [ 5 ], "name": "Omar Lopez" }, { "affs": [ 6 ], "name": "Fernando Gonzalez" }, { "affs": [ 7 ], "name": "Daniel Mantilla" }, { "affs": [ 8 ], "name": "Alex Eusebio" }, { "affs": [ 9 ], "name": "Cedric Pimentel" }, { "affs": [ 10 ], "name": "Marc Ribo" }, { "affs": [ 11 ], "name": "Manuel Moreu" }, { "affs": [ 12 ], "name": "Serdar Geyik" }, { "affs": [ 13 ], "name": "Ossama Mansour" }, { "affs": [ 14 ], "name": "Songul Senadim Kaytanci" }, { "affs": [ 15 ], "name": "Cagatay Andiç" }, { "affs": [ 16 ], "name": "Atilla Ozcan Ozdemir" }, { "affs": [ 17 ], "name": "Vipul Gupta" }, { "affs": [ 18 ], "name": "Vikram Huded" }, { "affs": [ 19 ], "name": "Octavio Marques Pontes-Neto" }, { "affs": [ 20 ], "name": "Gaurav Goel" }, { "affs": [ 21 ], "name": "Erdem Gurkas" }, { "affs": [ 22 ], "name": "Semih Giray" }, { "affs": [ 23 ], "name": "Raul Nogueira" }, { "affs": [ 24 ], "name": "Laetitia de Villiers" }, { "affs": [ 25 ], "name": "Ruchi Kabra" }, { "affs": [ 26 ], "name": "Rajsrinivas Parthasarathy" }, { "affs": [ 27 ], "name": "Vitor Mendes Pereira" }, { "affs": [ 28 ], "name": "Vu Dang Luu" }, { "affs": [ 29 ], "name": "Jeyaraj Pandian" }, { "affs": [ 30 ], "name": "Sheila Martins" }, { "affs": [ 4 ], "name": "Gillian Gordon Perue" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0a8hj0549v89h.bib", "cited_by": 0, "doi": "10.3389/fneur.2026.1866027", "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13672226/?tool=EBI", "id": "0a8hj0549v89h", "issns": [ "1664-2295" ], "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13672226", "language": "eng", "licence": "CC-BY", "licence_label": "CC BY", "licence_source": "article", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "openalex", "2713|Acute Ischemic Stroke Management" ] ], "openalex": "W7215083858", "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13672226/pdf/?tool=EBI", "pmcid": "PMC13672226", "pmid": null, "published": "2026-10-02", "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA", "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0a8hj0549v89h.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:18Z", "native_id": "PMC:PMC13672226", "source": "europepmc", "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13672226" }, { "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:16Z", "native_id": "10.3389/fneur.2026.1866027", "source": "crossref", "url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2026.1866027/full" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "medicine", "origin": "openalex:2713|Acute Ischemic Stroke Management", "subfield": "epidemiology-public-health" } ], "title": "World Stroke Organization mechanical thrombectomy workshops combined with the Global Stroke Alliance builds regional capacity", "title_text": "World Stroke Organization mechanical thrombectomy workshops combined with the Global Stroke Alliance builds regional capacity", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:16Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0a8hj0549v89h", "venue": "Frontiers in neurology", "versions": [] }