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  • Title: Importance of leukoaraiosis on CT for tissue plasminogen activator decision making: evaluation of the NINDS rt-PA Stroke Study.
    Author: Demchuk AM, Khan F, Hill MD, Barber PA, Silver B, Patel S, Levine SR, NINDS rt-PA Stroke Study Group.
    Journal: Cerebrovasc Dis; 2008; 26(2):120-5. PubMed ID: 18560214.
    Abstract:
    BACKGROUND: Leukoaraiosis is associated with microhemorrhages on T(2)*-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. Such hemorrhages have been postulated to be responsible for symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) after thrombolytic treatment. We examined the relationship between small-vessel ischemic disease and symptomatic ICH within the NINDS rt-PA Stroke Study. METHODS: Baseline CT scans from the NINDS rt-PA Stroke Study were re-evaluated retrospectively by blinded expert CT readers using the van Swieten Score (vSS) for leukoaraiosis. The scale examined the severity of white-matter changes on 3 serial CT slices and graded separately for the 2 distinct regions anterior and posterior to the central sulcus: 0 = no lesion, 1 = partly involving the white matter, and 2 = extending up to the cortex. RESULTS: 603 CT scans were interpreted. The risk of symptomatic ICH increased with higher vSS in both the placebo and treatment groups. The absolute risk of symptomatic hemorrhage was 7.9% in the rt-PA-treated cohort among patients with severe white-matter disease (vSS = 3-4) versus 2.9% receiving placebo. Among severe leukoaraiosis patients (vSS = 3-4), no differential treatment effect was seen with rt-PA patients achieving better outcomes than placebo, modified Rankin score 0-1 in 31.6% of rt-PA-treated versus 14.7% of placebo-treated patients. CONCLUSION: The results from the present study do not support the concept that leukoaraiosis present on baseline noncontrast CT scanning is critical to thrombolysis decision making in the first 3 h from symptom onset. No clear leukoaraiosis threshold was identified below which no benefit or harm could be seen from intravenous rt-PA therapy.
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