title: Intra-arterial tissue plasminogen activator and abciximab in patients with acute basilar artery occlusion.
abstract: Acute basilar artery occlusion has a poor prognosis and best treatment has not been assessed yet; as for intra-arterial treatment, no "gold standard" exists. We evaluated a series of ten patients treated with intra-arterial combination of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) and abciximab. Partial/complete recanalisation was achieved in all patients and good outcome (1 month Modified Rankin Scale 0-2) in eight cases, while one patient had symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage and died. Such outcome appears significantly better if compared with the results of Basilar Artery International Cooperation Study, suggesting that intra-arterial administration of rtPA and abciximab may be a promising option in patients with acute basilar artery occlusion undergoing endovascular treatment.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa (IT), Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chiti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gialdini
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Terni
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Giannini
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gennaro
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Lazzarotti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Puglioli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Orlandi
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Bonuccelli
mesh_terms: D000077284:Abciximab; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007140:Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007269:Injections, Intra-Arterial; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014715:Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D007140:Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator; D000077284:Abciximab