Our experience with thrombolytic therapy -- preliminary report

Stroke is a rapidly developing clinical disturbance of focal or global cerebral function, lasting for more than 1 hour. It is an acute form of symptoms of brain function disorder, with no apparent cause other than vascular origin. It is the final phase of arterial disease, the main cause of disability, and the second leading cause of death. Today, ischemic stroke can be treated successfully by acting on its cause using a very powerful weapon, thrombolytic therapy. The aim is to present a preliminary report of our experiences with thrombolytic therapy in patients with ischemic stroke. Results recorded in 20 patients who received thrombolytic therapy within three hours of stroke onset are presented. Nineteen patients survived and one patient died from therapy side effects, i.e. intracerebral hematoma. Seventeen of 19 patients were released from the hospital without any neurologic deficit, while two patients had Rankin score 2 (minimum disability) three months after stroke onset. Our experience confirms that thrombolytic therapy is the treatment of choice in patients with ischemic stroke if administered in accordance with precise protocols.