title: Recanalization Rate and Clinical Outcome in Acute Carotid-T Occlusion.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acute carotid-T occlusion results in both low recanalization rates and poor outcomes. We investigated clinical outcomes and recanalization in a rare case of thrombolytic therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A consecutive series of patients with acute carotid-T occlusion who were treated with either bridging intravenous (IV) plus intra-arterial (IA) thrombolysis or IA alone were analyzed. Complete recanalization was defined as a thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (TICI) grade of 3. A favorable outcome was defined as a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of ≤2.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 40 patients, 6 (15%) had favorable outcomes, and 34 (85%) had poor outcomes. Favorable outcomes were significantly associated with a lower National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score after revascularization treatment and higher rates of complete recanalization (p < 0.01, p < 0.024, respectively). Complete recanalization was achieved in all patients with favorable clinical outcomes and 5 (83%) patients had received combined IV/IA thrombolysis (p = 0.381).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that complete recanalization for acute carotid-T occlusion improves clinical outcomes. In that regard, bridging IV/IA thrombolysis may be more efficacious than IA alone.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, South Korea.
authors.forename: Young
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Noh
authors.forename: Cheol Kyu
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Jeong-Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Jin-Heon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Jun Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Beom Joon
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hee-Joon
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Bae
authors.forename: O-Ki
authors.initials: OK
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Chang Wan
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Moon-Ku
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D061605:Administration, Intravenous; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002341:Carotid Artery Thrombosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D007261:Infusions, Intra-Arterial; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents