Thrombolysis in Acute Stroke Pooling Project: a meta-analysis on individual patient data

To assess the efficacy and safety of thrombolytic therapy in acute ischaemic stroke, randomised clinical trials have been undertaken. Their results suggest that further research should be attempted to identify patients for whom the benefit/risk ratio of thrombolysis is beneficial. The Thrombolysis in Acute Stroke Pooling Project (TAS-PP) group will pool individual patient data from recent studies and meta-analyse these. A Steering Committee drafted the protocol and defined access rules to the common file. The objectives are to assess the efficacy of thrombolysis to reduce death or severe disability, to identify predictors of death and haemorrhagic transformation, and to identify subgroups with a better response to treatment, using logistic regression, survival curve comparison (log rank test), multivariate modelling (with treatment, baseline characteristics, delay from symptom to treatment as covariates). This project will help defining subpopulations that are more likely to benefit from this treatment, which cannot be achieved using tabulated data, and designing future trials. Copyright 1999 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.