title: Efficacy of thrombolytic (rt-PA) therapy in old stroke patients: the Perugia Stroke Unit experience.
abstract: The use of intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) administered within 3 hrs from symptom onset is beneficial in selected patients independent of age; although oldest patients (> or = 80 years) are excluded a priori. We report an experience relative to rt-PA treatment in the oldest patients including outcome at 3 months. Data were from the hospital-based Perugia Stroke Registry. Seventy-two consecutive acute stroke patients, fulfilling NINDS and EUSI-criteria were treated with rt-PA of these 23 patients (30.5%) were > or = 80 years. The median and mean age were, respectively, 72.5 and 71.1 +/- 12.7 years (range 35-94). The proportion of favorable outcome at 3-months did not differ between groups (55% elderly versus 51.1% of younger patients). Proportions of unfavorable outcome and death from baseline were similar in both groups of patients. Age did not influence prognosis in patients treated with rt-PA. The oldest stroke patients should not be excluded from rt-PA treatment on the basis of age per se.
authors.affiliation: Stroke Unit, Department of Neuroscience, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy. parnetti@unipg.it
authors.forename: Lucilla
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Parnetti
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Silvestrelli
authors.forename: Alessia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lanari
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tambasco
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Capocchi
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Agnelli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020521:Stroke / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014505:Urban Population
chemical_list: D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator