title: Thrombolysis in patients with transient neurologic deficits.
abstract: What is the risk of thrombolysis in patients with acute stroke who might recover without treatment? In the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke rt-PA for Acute Stroke Trial, 2.6% of patients taking placebo showed spontaneous 24-hour recovery, compared to 11.5% of recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA)-treated patients (p < 0.001). There were no symptomatic ICH in the patients taking placebo; one hypertensive, rt-PA-treated patient hemorrhaged. Assuming the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke protocol is followed rigorously, patients with acute stroke rarely recover spontaneously and the thrombolytic risk is low.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, UCSD School of Medicine, San Diego, CA, USA. plyden@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lyden
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kwiatkowski
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frankel
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Broderick
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Brott
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000139:chemically induced; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009460:Neurologic Examination / Q000187:drug effects; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator