International journal of stroke : official journal of the International Stroke Society
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Baseline characteristics of the 4011 patients recruited into the ‘Efficacy of Nitric Oxide in Stroke’ (ENOS) trial.
High blood pressure is common in acute stroke and associated with a worse functional outcome. Many patients who present with acute stroke are taking prescribed antihypertensive therapy before their stroke. ⋯ ENOS is a large completed international trial of blood pressure management in acute stroke and includes patients representative of many stroke services worldwide.
-
Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Plaque At RISK (PARISK): prospective multicenter study to improve diagnosis of high-risk carotid plaques.
Patients with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis are at high risk for recurrent stroke. To date, the decision to perform carotid endarterectomy in patients with a recent cerebrovascular event is mainly based on degree of stenosis of the ipsilateral carotid artery. However, additional atherosclerotic plaque characteristics might be better predictors of stroke, allowing for more precise selection of patients for carotid endarterectomy. ⋯ The combined primary end-point contains ipsilateral recurrent ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack or new ipsilateral ischemic brain lesions on follow-up brain magnetic resonance imaging.
-
Limited studies exist on the outcome of thrombolytic therapy of acute ischemic stroke patients outside of clinical trials. ⋯ In this study of acute ischemic stroke patients, older age, male gender, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, history of myocardial infarction or coronary artery disease, and history of atrial fibrillation were associated with increased in-hospital death among patients receiving intravenous tissue plasminogen activator. Among patients treated with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator, in-hospital mortality and symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage rates were similar between those treated within three-hours of time last known to be well and those treated between three and 4·5 hours after this time.
-
Seizures after intracerebral hemorrhage are a common complication and may adversely affect neurological outcome. However, studies are inadequate on the utility of prophylactic anticonvulsant therapy in patients with hemorrhagic stroke, and the results remains controversial. ⋯ Given the lack of evidence for seizure prophylaxis in patients with acute supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage, randomized controlled trials are desperately needed. The results from our study are believed to directly influence future prophylactic anticonvulsant therapy of intracerebral hemorrhage.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Randomized, multicenter, comparative study of NEURO versus CIMT in poststroke patients with upper limb hemiparesis: the NEURO-VERIFY Study.
Many poststroke patients suffer functional motor limitation of the affected upper limb, which is associated with diminished health-related quality of life. ⋯ The results of the 15-day rehabilitative protocol showed the superiority of NEURO relative to constraint-induced movement therapy; NEURO improved the motion of the whole upper limb and resulted in functional improvement in activities of daily living.