title: Functional outcome after thrombolytic therapy.
abstract: In this paper, we report our experience from a prospective study in 40 ischemic stroke patients admitted during the last two years at University Department of Neurology Stroke Unit, Banja Luka Clinical Center, in order to assess the safety and efficacy of thrombolytic therapy, the impact of age, sex and risk factors, and functional outcome at 6 months of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator treatment. According to the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, there were 5 mild, 22 moderate and 13 severe stroke cases in the study group. The outcome measures at 6 months of thrombolytic treatment were taken in 38 (100%) patients, yielding a Functional Independent Measure score > or=90 (good clinical outcome) in 21 (52.50%) and modified Rankin Score < or =2 (good clinical outcome) in 22 (55%) patients. The rate of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage in tissue plasminogen activator treated patients was 5%, with a mortality rate of 17.50%. The outcomes were comparable with those found in the NINDS t-PA trial. Current guidelines recommend a 'door-to-needle' time of less than 60 minutes and emphasize that 'time is brain'.
authors.affiliation: University Department of Neurology, Banja Luka Clinical Center, Bosnia and Herzegovina. neurologija@blic.net
authors.forename: Sinisa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miljković
authors.forename: Drasko
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Prtina
authors.forename: Tamara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rabi Zikić
authors.forename: Zoran
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Vujković
authors.forename: Dusko
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Racić
authors.forename: Vlado
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Dajić
authors.forename: Aleksandar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jesić
authors.forename: Milan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arbutina
authors.forename: Milorad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zikić
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020521:Stroke / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome