• Mar Castellanos, Tomás Sobrino, Mónica Millán, María García, Juan Arenillas, Florentino Nombela, David Brea, Natalia Perez de la Ossa, Joaquín Serena, José Vivancos, José Castillo, and Antoni Dávalos.
• Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitari Doctor Josep Trueta, Girona, Spain.
• Stroke. 2007 Jun 1;38(6):1855-9.

Background And PurposePlasma levels of cellular fibronectin (c-Fn) > or =3.6 microg/mL and of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) > or =140 ng/mL have been associated with parenchymal hematoma (PH) after treatment with tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) in patients with acute ischemic stroke. In this prospective study, we sought to validate the predictive capacity of the preestablished cutoff values of these biomarkers for PH in a larger series of patients.MethodsWe studied 134 patients treated with t-PA within 3 hours from symptom onset according to the SITS-MOST criteria (median time to infusion, 152 minutes; median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, 14) in 4 university hospitals. Hemorrhagic transformation was classified according to the European-Australasian Acute Stroke Study II definitions on computed tomography scans performed 24 to 36 hours after treatment. Relevant hemorrhagic transformation was defined as hemorrhagic infarction type 2 or any PH. Serum c-Fn and MMP-9 levels were determined by an ELISA om blood samples obtained before treatment.ResultsCranial computed tomography showed hemorrhagic transformation in 27 patients (20%), hemorrhagic infarction in 15 (type 2 in 8 patients), and PH in 12 patients (symptomatic in 4). Serum c-Fn and MMP-9 concentrations at baseline were significantly higher in patients with relevant hemorrhagic transformation and PH than in those without (all P<0.001). The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for PH by c-Fn levels > or =3.6 microg/mL were 100%, 60%, 20%, and 100%, respectively, whereas corresponding values were 92%, 74%, 26%, and 99% for MMP-9 levels > or =140 ng/mL. When both biomarkers were at levels above the cutoff points, specificity increased to 87% and the positive predictive value increased to 41%.ConclusionsThis prospective study confirmed the high sensitivity and negative predictive value, with retained good specificity, of c-Fn and MMP-9 for the prediction of PH in patients treated with t-PA. Development of faster analytic methods will prove the applicability of these biomarkers in routine clinical practice.

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