Safety of intravenous fibrinolysis in imaging-confirmed single penetrator artery infarcts.

ABSTRACT:

Background and purpose

Hemorrhagic transformation (HT) after fibrinolytic therapy may be less common in patients with acute cerebral ischemia confined to single penetrator artery (SPA) territories than in patients with large artery ischemia. Previous investigations of HT diagnosed small vessel ischemia based on lacunar clinical syndromes, an approach known to yield misdiagnosis in one-third to one-half of cases.

Methods

Consecutive intravenous tissue plasminogen activator-treated patients in a prospectively maintained hospital registry were analyzed. Patients were classified as having SPA ischemia if they had imaging evidence of: (1) deep location; (2) diameter ≤ 1.5 cm; and (3) distribution in a single penetrator territory, regardless of presenting clinical syndrome. Lacuna

SUBMITTER: Lee SJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3034158 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature