Article Text
Abstract
Objectives: To determine the safety, efficacy, and predictors of favourable outcome of intra-arterial thrombolysis in acute stroke attributable to internal carotid “T”occlusion
Methods: The authors analysed 24 consecutive patients with T occlusions of the internal carotid artery treated by local intra-arterial thrombolysis using urokinase.
Results: The median baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale was 19. The average time from symptom onset to treatment was 237 minutes. Four patients (16.6%) had a favourable (modified Rankin Scale score (mRS⩽2)) and 10 patients (41.7%) a poor outcome (mRS 3 or 4) after three months. Ten patients (41.7%) died. One symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage (4.2%) occurred. Partial recanalisation of the intracranial internal carotid artery was achieved in 15 (63%), of the middle cerebral artery in four (17%), and of the anterior cerebral artery in eight patients (33%). Complete recanalisation never occurred. Sufficient leptomeningeal collaterals as seen on arteriography (p=0.02) and age <60 years (p=0.012) were the only predictors of favourable clinical outcome.
Conclusions: Acute stroke attributable to carotid T occlusion remains a condition with a generally poor prognosis even when intra-arterial thrombolysis is performed. Favourable outcome was seen only in patients with sufficient leptomeningeal collaterals.
- stroke
- thrombolytic therapy
- ICA, intra-arterial thrombolysis
- CTO, carotid artery T occlusions
- NIHSS, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale
- ICA, internal carotid artery
- MCA, middle cerebral artery
- CT, computed tomography
- mRS, modified Rankin scale
- ACA, anterior cerebral artery
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Footnotes
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Competing interests: none declared.