Early thrombolysis indicated in threatened cerebral infarction. A study of 60 patients treated at Akademiska sjukhuset in Uppsala

Results of the routine use of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) within 3 hours of an acute ischemic stroke have been reported from the United States, Canada and Germany. Published reports from other countries and from centers using tPA within a wider timeframe are limited. 60 patients in a Swedish University Hospital were treated with i.v. tPA within 6 hours of onset of acute ischemic stroke symptoms. Two patients suffered more extensive parenchymal intracerebral hemorrhages, of which one required surgery and one died. At 3 months, 47% were independent, 35% dependent and 18% deceased. Due to the relatively low number of patients in this series, data should be cautiously interpreted, but the results are comparable to those of large randomized controlled trials and published phase 4 studies. The risk of tPA treatment after 3-6 hours does not seem to be significantly increased as compared to treatment within 3 hours.