title: Xueshuantong improves cerebral blood perfusion in elderly patients with lacunar infarction.
abstract: A total of 64 patients with acute lacunar infarction were enrolled within 24 hours of onset. The patients received conventional therapy (antiplatelet drugs and hypolipidemic drugs) alone or conventional therapy plus 450 mg Xueshuantong once a day. The main ingredient of the Xueshuantong lyophilized powder used for injection was Panax notoginseng saponins. Assessments were made at admission and at discharge using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, the Activity of Daily Living and the Mini-Mental State Examination. Additionally, the relative cerebral blood flow, relative cerebral blood volume and relative mean transit time in the region of interest were calculated within 24 hours after the onset of lacunar infarction, using dynamic susceptibility contrast magnetic resonance perfusion imaging technology. Patients underwent a follow-up MRI scan after 4 weeks of treatment. There was an improvement in the Activity of Daily Living scores and a greater reduction in the scores on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale in the treatment group than in the control group. However, the Mini-Mental State Examination scores showed no significant differences after 4 weeks of treatment. Compared with the control group, the relative cerebral blood flow at discharge had increased and showed a greater improvement in the treatment group. Furthermore, there was a reduction in the relative mean transit time at discharge and the value was lower in the treatment group than in the control group. The experimental findings indicate that Xueshuantong treatment improves neurological deficits in elderly patients with lacunar infarction, and the mechanism may be related to increased cerebral perfusion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, Zhejiang Province, China.
authors.forename: Qifeng
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Gui
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, Zhejiang Province, China.
authors.forename: Yunmei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, Zhejiang Province, China.
authors.forename: Shihong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ying
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang Province, China.
authors.forename: Minming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
keywords: Panax notoginseng saponins; Xueshuantong; cerebral perfusion; cerebrovascular disease; grants-supported paper; lacunar infarction; neural regeneration; neuroprotection; neuroregeneration; photographs-containing paper; traditional Chinese medicine