[Practical significance of ischemic stroke OCSP (Oxfordshire Community Stroke Project) classification]

OCSP classification based on neurological signs and syndromes contains four subtypes of ischaemic stroke: lacunar infarct (LACI), total anterior circulation infarcts (TACI), partial anterior circulation infarcts (PACI), posterior circulation infarcts (POCI). Literature reports suggest that this classification may be useful in estimation of after stroke complications and prognostication, and can raise the sensitivity of therapeutic clinical tests. The aim of this study was to estimate the occurrence of risk factors, accompanying complications and prognosis in a material of clinical records of 346 hospitalized patients. Attention is drawn to limited importance of brain CT as shown in frequent discordance between clinical syndromes and CT findings in establishing to which stroke subtype a given patient belongs. The results obtained in the study are highly similar to those reported from other clinical centres. It was found that PACI syndrome was most frequently occurring, and that TACI subtype was associated with the highest frequency of complications and risk factors, and worst prognosis. The prognosis was best in the LACI subtype. The subtype of OCSP classification seems to be determining the possibility of complications and prognosis, and could suggest the most effective medical treatment.