Elevated serum CK-BB levels in patients with cerebral transtentorial herniation after ischemic stroke

We examined the time course of CK and its isoenzymes in 15 patients with severe ischemic stroke. Patients with cerebral transtentorial herniation (n = 7) had the highest CK-BB activity during herniation (1.54 +/- 0.6 U/L, mean +/- SD; range: 1.0-2.6 U/L). These values were distinctly above the values of a control group of 20 patients with non-neurological diseases (0.39 +/- 0.2 U/L, mean +/- SD). In patients with smaller lesions without herniation (n = 8) the maximum CK-BB increase was lower (0.56 +/- 0.26 U/L, mean +/- SD).