Stroke; a journal of cerebral circulation
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Multicenter Study
MRI-based and CT-based thrombolytic therapy in acute stroke within and beyond established time windows: an analysis of 1210 patients.
The use of intravenous thrombolysis is restricted to a minority of patients by the rigid 3-hour time window. This window may be extended by using modern imaging-based selection algorithms. We assessed safety and efficacy of MRI-based thrombolysis within and beyond 3 hours compared with standard CT-based thrombolysis. ⋯ Despite significantly longer time windows and significantly higher baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores, MRI-based thrombolysis is safer and potentially more efficacious than standard CT-based thrombolysis.