title: Initial troponin level as a predictor of prognosis in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It has been suggested that elevated cardiac troponin T (cTnT) level is a marker of increased risk of mortality in acute ischemic stroke and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). However, the association of serum cTnT level and prognosis of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) has been sparsely investigated. The aim of this study was to identify the relationship between cTnT level and the outcome in patients with spontaneous ICH.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively investigated 253 patients identified by a database search from records of patients admitted in our department for ICH between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2007. The patients were divided into 2 groups; the patients in group 1 (n=225) with serum cTnT values of 0.01 ng/mL or less, and those in group 2 (n=28) with serum cTnT values greater than 0.01 ng/mL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The serum cTnT level was elevated in 28 patients. There were significant differences in sex, hypertension, creatine kinase-myocardial band, midline shift, side of hematoma, and presence of intraventricular hemorrhage between the 2 groups. Logistic regression analysis identified the level of consciousness on admission, cTnT and midline shift as independent predictors of hospital mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Theses results suggest that increased serum cTnT level at admission is associated with in-hospital mortality and the addition of a serum cTnT assay to routine admission testing should be considered in patients with ICH.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Pil-Wook
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Yu Sam
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Won
authors.forename: Young Joon
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Chun Sik
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Byung Moon
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Kim