title: Does the side of middle cerebral artery compromise matters in the mortality after thrombolysis in ischemic stroke?
abstract: The impact of the side in middle cerebral artery (MCA) ischemic stroke is not well established. Our aim was to analyze the differences between right (RMCA) and left middle cerebral artery (LMCA) stroke in patients submitted to intravenous thrombolysis and the influence of the affected side in the patient's mortality after 3 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with MCA ischemic stroke submitted to intravenous thrombolysis from March 2010 to December 2011 at two Brazilian Stroke Centers were included. Differences between patients with RMCA and LMCA stroke were identified by univariate analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-five patients with RMCA stroke and 67 with LMCA stroke were analyzed. Patients with LMCA had a higher incidence of atrial fibrillation (p = 0.031), although patients with RMCA more often had a previous ischemic stroke (p = 0.034). The mortality over 3 months was similar for either side (OR = 1.20 ;0.37 - 4.29, p = 0.772).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The side of the MCA ischemic stroke did not influence the patients mortality.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurologia, Hospital de Clínicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Renata Dal-Prá
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Ducci
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurologia, Hospital de Clínicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcos Christiano
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Lange
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurologia, Hospital Municipal São José, Joinville, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carla Heloísa
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Moro
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurologia, Hospital de Clínicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Harger
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurologia, Hospital Municipal São José, Joinville, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alexandre Luiz
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Longo
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurologia, Hospital Municipal São José, Joinville, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Norberto Luiz
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Cabral
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurologia, Hospital de Clínicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Francisco Manoel Branco
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Germiniani
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurologia, Hospital de Clínicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Edison Matos
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Nóvak
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurologia, Hospital de Clínicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Viviane de Hiroki Flumignan
authors.initials: Vde H
authors.lastname: Zétola
mesh_terms: D061605:Administration, Intravenous; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000401:mortality; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy / Q000401:mortality*; D013997:Time Factors