Predictors of major neurological improvement after intravenous thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke: A hospital-based study from south India

Background : Despite the increasing use of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) in acute ischemic stroke, uncertainty persists about the short- and long-term outcome of the thrombolysed patients. Objective : To identify predictors of major neurological improvement at 24 h after intravenous rt-PA administration in patients of acute ischemic stroke and their relationship with outcome at 12 months. Materials and Methods : We analyzed the data of the patients with acute ischemic stroke treated as per the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) criteria with intravenous rt-PA between January 2000 and June 2009 at a tertiary care center in south India. Major neurological improvement was defined by an 8-point improvement in National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score or an NIHSS score of 0 or 1 at 24 h. Good outcome was defined as a 12-month modified Rankin Scale (mRS) of 0 to 1. Results : Of the 72 patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with intravenous rt-PA, 23 (32%) patients had major neurological improvement at 24 h. Age Conclusions : Age