[Intravenous thrombolytic treatment of acute basilar artery occlusion].
BACKGROUND
Acute stroke with basilar artery occlusion is a serious condition with high mortality and severe disability.


METHODS
We describe three patients with acute artery basilar occlusion treated with thrombolytic agent given intravenously.


RESULTS
One patient demonstrated early and considerable clinical improvement parallel to thrombolytic therapy started two and a half hour after ictus, but suffered a new occlusion and died in a "locked-in syndrome". One patient demonstrated moderate clinical improvement after less than six hours and survived with disability. One patient demonstrated no clinical improvement with thrombolytic therapy started six hours after ictus and later died of an injured brainstem. No patients had serious bleeding.


CONCLUSIONS
Intravenous, systemic thrombolytic treatment may have a beneficial effect in acute basilar occlusion.
Eldøen
G
G
Nevrologisk avdeling Fylkessjukehuset i Molde 6407 Molde. matsern@online.no
Thomassen
L
L
Johnsen
H J
HJ
Schrader
H
H
Moen
G
G
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy / Q000379:methods; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014715:Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy*
D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator