Endovascular therapy after intravenous t-PA versus t-PA alone for stroke.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Endovascular therapy is increasingly used after the administration of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) for patients with moderate-to-severe acute ischemic stroke, but whether a combined approach is more effective than intravenous t-PA alone is uncertain.

Methods

We randomly assigned eligible patients who had received intravenous t-PA within 3 hours after symptom onset to receive additional endovascular therapy or intravenous t-PA alone, in a 2:1 ratio. The primary outcome measure was a modified Rankin scale score of 2 or less (indicating functional independence) at 90 days (scores range from 0 to 6, with higher scores indicating greater disability).

Results

The study was stopped early because of futility after 656 participants had undergone r

SUBMITTER: Broderick JP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3651875 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature