Efficacy of Complex Antioxidant Energy Correction of Different Durations in the Treatment of Cerebral Infarction (results of a multicenter randomized study)

Objective. To assess antioxidant therapy (ascorbic acid (AA), Cytoflavin) prescribed as part of the standard treatment scheme based on clinical and morphological data in cerebral infarct. Materials and methods. The study was performed from 2010 to 2014 in eight vascular centers in the Russian Federation. A total of 373 patients with acute ischemic stroke in the carotid basin were studied. Group 1 consisted of 132 patients who received 5% AA solution at a daily dose of 20 ml; group 2 consisted of 113 patients receiving the antioxidant Cytoflavin at a daily dose of 20 ml for 10 days; group 3 consisted of 108 patients receiving Cytoflavin for 20 days, the dose being decreased to 10 ml from day 11 to day 20. Patients’ status was evaluated using a set of clinical, laboratory, and instrumented methods. Results and conclusions. Analysis of CT scan results obtained on treatment days 1 and 21 showed that Cytoflavin led to significant regression of the volume of cerebral ischemia, by an average factor of 1.5–1.7. No significant morphological changes were seen in the AA-treated group; among Cytoflavin-treated patients there was a two-fold reduction in the proportion of patients in which the volume of cerebral ischemia increased during the period 1–21 days. In patients with initial assessments of at least 14 points on the NIH scale, Cytoflavin treatment for 20 days promoted more marked improvements in neurological, functional, and cognitive status than seen in patients given infusions for 10 days.