title: Intravenous tirofiban with intra-arterial urokinase and mechanical thrombolysis in stroke: preliminary experience in 11 cases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate preliminarily efficacy and safety of intravenous tirofiban combined with mechanical clot disruption and urokinase in patients with stroke attributable to major cerebral artery occlusion.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eleven consecutive patients with stroke attributable to acute occlusion of a major cerebral artery were treated with an intravenous bolus injection of the platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antagonist tirofiban combined with heparin and by endovascular procedures including mechanical thrombolysis and locally delivered urokinase. Of the 11 cases, 9 involved angioplasty and 2 only microcatheter and microguidewire manipulation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 7 patients with internal carotid or middle cerebral artery occlusion treated within 6 hours and 4 patients with basilar artery occlusion treated within 12 hours of symptom onset. Median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score on admission was 20. After the interventional procedure, vessel recanalization was partial (thrombolysis in myocardial infarction grade flow 2 [TIMI 2]) in 7 patients and absent or insufficient in 4 patients. Twenty-four hours after the procedure, all the patients but 1 improved substantially, and on control angiography, the occluded vessel was totally patent (TIMI 3) in 10 of the 11 patients. One patient with partial recanalization did not improve and died 3 months later from pulmonary embolism. Neither a symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage nor systemic bleedings requiring blood transfusion occurred in any patient. At discharge, median NIHSS score was 2. The 3-month outcome was excellent in 8 patients (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] 0 to 1), good in 2 patients (mRS 2), and poor in 1 patient (mRS 6).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The combination of intravenous tirofiban with intra-arterial mechanical clot disruption and urokinase may be successful in reopening an occluded major cerebral vessel without increasing the hemorrhagic risk and with good functional outcome. This strategy cannot be recommended as the systematic treatment of stroke attributable to major cerebral artery occlusion until tested in a controlled study design.
authors.affiliation: Neuroradiology Unit, Careggi Hospital, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mangiafico
authors.forename: Martino
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cellerini
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nencini
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gensini
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Inzitari
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy; D002404:Catheterization; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006493:Heparin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy; D007261:Infusions, Intra-Arterial; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D020300:Intracranial Hemorrhages / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012306:Risk; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020521:Stroke / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000628:therapy*; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors; D000077466:Tirofiban; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014443:Tyrosine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D014443:Tyrosine; D006493:Heparin; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator; D000077466:Tirofiban