title: Relationship between pulsatility index and clinical course of acute ischemic stroke after thrombolytic treatment.
abstract: Background. The relationship between the arterial recanalization after intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) and outcomes is still uncertain. The aim of our study was to evaluate whether there is an association between the pulsatility indexes (PI) of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) measured by transcranial Doppler (TCD) after iv rtPA treatment and short- and long-term outcomes in ischemic stroke patients. Methods. Forty-eight patients with acute ischemia in the MCA territory who achieved complete recanalization after the administration of intravenous thrombolytic treatment were included in the study. The TCD was applied to patients after the iv rtPA treatment. Clinical and functional outcomes were assessed by National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores and modified Rankin Scores (mRS), respectively. Results. Significant positive correlations were found between the PI value and NIHSS score at 24 hours, NIHSS score at 3 months, and mRS at 3 months (P < 0.005 for all). The cut-off value for PI in predicting a favorable prognosis and a good prognosis might be less than or equal to 1.1 and less than or equal to 1.4, respectively. Conclusions. PI may play a role in predicting the functional and clinical outcome after thrombolytic therapy in acute ischemic stroke patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Department of Cerebrovascular Disease and Stroke Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Meselik, 26480 Eskisehir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nevzat
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Uzuner
authors.forename: Özcan
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Özdemir
authors.forename: Gülnur
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tekgöl Uzuner
mesh_terms: D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020768:Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000473:pathology; D011674:Pulse; D012372:ROC Curve; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator