title: White Matter Lesions Double the Risk of Post-Thrombolytic Intracerebral Hemorrhage.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cerebral white matter lesions (WMLs), a surrogate for small-vessel disease, are common in patients with stroke and may be related to an increased intracranial bleeding risk after intravenous thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke. We aimed to investigate the risk of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) in the presence of WMLs in a large cohort of ischemic stroke patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We included 2485 consecutive patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis at the Helsinki University Central Hospital. WMLs were scored according to 4 previously published computed tomography visual rating scales from all baseline head scans. A sICH was classified according to the European Cooperative Acute Stroke Study II criteria. The associations of sICH with nominal, ordinal, and continuous variables were analyzed in a univariate binary regression model and adjusted in multivariate binary regression models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In univariate and multivariate regression analyses, all 4 tested visual WML rating scales (as continuous variables or dichotomized at different cutoff points) were associated with increased risk of sICH. In binary analyses, WML doubled the bleeding risk: the odds ratios of all 4 visual rating scales ranged from 2.22 (95% confidence interval, 1.49-3.30) to 2.70 (1.87-3.90) in univariable and from 2.00 (1.26-3.16) to 2.62 (1.71-4.02) in multivariable analyses. The multivariable-adjusted odds ratio for the association of high load of WMLs with remote parenchymal hemorrhage was 4.11 (2.38-7.10).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  WMLs visible on computed tomography are associated with a more than doubled risk of sICH in patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland (S.C., E.H., S. Melkas, S. Mustanoja, J.P., T.S., G.S., M.T., T.T., D.S.); Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland (S.C., E.H., S. Melkas, S. Mustanoja, J.P., T.S., G.S., M.T., T.T., D.S.); Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Salhgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden (T.T.); and Department of Neurology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden (T.T.). sami.curtze@hus.fi.
authors.forename: Sami
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Curtze
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland (S.C., E.H., S. Melkas, S. Mustanoja, J.P., T.S., G.S., M.T., T.T., D.S.); Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland (S.C., E.H., S. Melkas, S. Mustanoja, J.P., T.S., G.S., M.T., T.T., D.S.); Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Salhgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden (T.T.); and Department of Neurology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden (T.T.).
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Haapaniemi
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland (S.C., E.H., S. Melkas, S. Mustanoja, J.P., T.S., G.S., M.T., T.T., D.S.); Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland (S.C., E.H., S. Melkas, S. Mustanoja, J.P., T.S., G.S., M.T., T.T., D.S.); Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Salhgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden (T.T.); and Department of Neurology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden (T.T.).
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Melkas
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland (S.C., E.H., S. Melkas, S. Mustanoja, J.P., T.S., G.S., M.T., T.T., D.S.); Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland (S.C., E.H., S. Melkas, S. Mustanoja, J.P., T.S., G.S., M.T., T.T., D.S.); Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Salhgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden (T.T.); and Department of Neurology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden (T.T.).
authors.forename: Satu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mustanoja
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland (S.C., E.H., S. Melkas, S. Mustanoja, J.P., T.S., G.S., M.T., T.T., D.S.); Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland (S.C., E.H., S. Melkas, S. Mustanoja, J.P., T.S., G.S., M.T., T.T., D.S.); Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Salhgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden (T.T.); and Department of Neurology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden (T.T.).
authors.forename: Jukka
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Putaala
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland (S.C., E.H., S. Melkas, S. Mustanoja, J.P., T.S., G.S., M.T., T.T., D.S.); Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland (S.C., E.H., S. Melkas, S. Mustanoja, J.P., T.S., G.S., M.T., T.T., D.S.); Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Salhgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden (T.T.); and Department of Neurology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden (T.T.).
authors.forename: Tiina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sairanen
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland (S.C., E.H., S. Melkas, S. Mustanoja, J.P., T.S., G.S., M.T., T.T., D.S.); Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland (S.C., E.H., S. Melkas, S. Mustanoja, J.P., T.S., G.S., M.T., T.T., D.S.); Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Salhgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden (T.T.); and Department of Neurology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden (T.T.).
authors.forename: Gerli
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sibolt
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland (S.C., E.H., S. Melkas, S. Mustanoja, J.P., T.S., G.S., M.T., T.T., D.S.); Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland (S.C., E.H., S. Melkas, S. Mustanoja, J.P., T.S., G.S., M.T., T.T., D.S.); Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Salhgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden (T.T.); and Department of Neurology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden (T.T.).
authors.forename: Marjaana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tiainen
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland (S.C., E.H., S. Melkas, S. Mustanoja, J.P., T.S., G.S., M.T., T.T., D.S.); Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland (S.C., E.H., S. Melkas, S. Mustanoja, J.P., T.S., G.S., M.T., T.T., D.S.); Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Salhgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden (T.T.); and Department of Neurology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden (T.T.).
authors.forename: Turgut
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tatlisumak
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland (S.C., E.H., S. Melkas, S. Mustanoja, J.P., T.S., G.S., M.T., T.T., D.S.); Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland (S.C., E.H., S. Melkas, S. Mustanoja, J.P., T.S., G.S., M.T., T.T., D.S.); Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Salhgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden (T.T.); and Department of Neurology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden (T.T.).
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Strbian
mesh_terms: D061605:Administration, Intravenous / Q000009:adverse effects; D000368:Aged; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D066127:White Matter / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: cerebral hemorrhage; confidence interval; odds ratio; stroke; white matter