Lancet neurology
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Association between brain imaging signs, early and late outcomes, and response to intravenous alteplase after acute ischaemic stroke in the third International Stroke Trial (IST-3): secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial.
Brain scans are essential to exclude haemorrhage in patients with suspected acute ischaemic stroke before treatment with alteplase. However, patients with early ischaemic signs could be at increased risk of haemorrhage after alteplase treatment, and little information is available about whether pre-existing structural signs, which are common in older patients, affect response to alteplase. We aimed to investigate the association between imaging signs on brain CT and outcomes after alteplase. ⋯ UK Medical Research Council, Health Foundation UK, Stroke Association UK, Chest Heart Stroke Scotland, Scottish Funding Council SINAPSE Collaboration, and multiple governmental and philanthropic national funders.