title: Sex differences in revascularization interventions after acute ischemic stroke.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies suggest that women are less likely than men to receive intravenous (IV) tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) for acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Relatively little is known about whether this sex disparity in AIS management extends beyond IV tPA use, reflects national practice patterns, or is changing.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 1997 to 2006 were used to identify adults (≥18 years of age) who were discharged with a primary diagnosis of AIS (n = 4,453,207) in the United States. Of 605,960 individuals admitted to 1056 hospitals that performed reperfusion/revascularization procedures, sex-specific rates of cerebrovascular reperfusion (e.g., IV tPA, intra-arterial therapy, angioplasty, stent, or carotid endarterectomy [CEA]), and cardiac reperfusion (e.g., catheterization, angioplasty, stent, or bypass graft) were determined before and after adjustment for sociodemographic, clinical, and hospital factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Men were more likely than women to receive IV tPA (prevalence ratio [PR] 1.37, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.32-1.42), catheter angiography (PR 1.36, 95% CI 1.33-1.38), intracranial or extracranial angioplasty/stent (PR 1.73, 95% CI 1.49-2.01), CEA (PR 1.79, 95% CI 1.72-1.86), or any cardiac reperfusion therapy (PR 1.62, 95% CI 1.53-1.71). Multivariable adjustment slightly attenuated the sex disparity. Use of all procedures except CEA rose from 1997 to 2006 in both sexes, but IV tPA use increased at a higher rate for women (compared to men); by 2006, there was no sex difference.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Over the last decade, women hospitalized for AIS in the United States were less likely than men to receive cerebrovascular and cardiac reperfusion therapies. However, the IV tPA treatment sex disparity may have been eliminated.
authors: Department of Neurology at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California; Department of Department of Neurology, Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, Downey, California. Electronic address: towfighi@usc.edu.
authors: Amytis
authors: A
authors: Towfighi
authors: Daniela
authors: D
authors: Markovic
authors: Bruce
authors: B
authors: Ovbiagele
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D002548:Cerebral Revascularization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D015607:Stents / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Cardiac; procedures; revascularization; sex differences; stroke