Many case series showed local intraarterial thrombolysis using urokinase was effective treatment for acute ischemic stroke, but it was performed in the limited area because its outcome largely depends upon the manpower and facility of the each stroke center. Thrombolysis has not been in use world-wide, until a large randomized control study revealed intravenous thrombolysis using tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) is a safe and effective treatment for ischemic stroke. The clinical trial also showed that thrombolysis significantly increases the incidence of fatal hemorrhage and the development of effective methods for selection of proper candidates is warranted. New advanced MR technology including diffusion and perfusion weighted images may be able to identify ideal candidates for thrombolytic therapy. Here the author review data from clinical trials and current treatment options for patients with acute ischemic stroke.
Diffusion ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Perfusion ; Stroke* ; Thrombolytic Therapy ; Tissue Plasminogen Activator ; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Elevated blood pressure (BP) is associated with greater severity of intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS) and increased risk of ischemic stroke. Because little is known about the relationship of maintained BP level with progression of symptomatic ICAS (sICAS), we evaluated the independent association of maintained systolic BP (SBP) with risk of sICAS progression. METHODS: We analyzed the Trial of cilOstazol in Symptomatic intracranial Stenosis 2, which evaluated 402 stroke patients with sICAS (mean age, 64.5±11.3 years; male, 52.2%). Study participants were categorized into four groups according to mean SBP level: low-normal ( < 120 mm Hg), normal to high-normal (120 to 139 mm Hg), high (140 to 159 mm Hg), and very-high (≥160 mm Hg). Progression of sICAS was defined as worsening in the degree of stenosis by ≥1 grade on the 7-month magnetic resonance angiography follow-up. RESULTS: sICAS progression was observed in 52 (12.9%) subjects. Percentages of sICAS progression by mean SBP category showed a J-shape pattern: low-normal (21.4%), normal to high-normal (10.7%), high (11.4%), and very-high (38.9%). In multivariable analysis, compared to the normal to high-normal SBP group, odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) were low-normal, 1.88 (0.62–5.67); high, 1.06 (0.47–2.37); and very-high, 8.75 (2.57–29.86). Rate of sICAS progression by 10-mm Hg strata showed a similar pattern to findings from mean SBP category (9.47; 2.58–34.73 for SBP ≥160 mm Hg). CONCLUSIONS: Among individuals with a recent ICAS stroke, very-high SBP level during the short-term period after the index stroke was associated with significantly greater odds of sICAS progression.
Blood Pressure* ; Constriction, Pathologic* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Angiography ; Male ; Odds Ratio ; Stroke

No abstract available.
Aphasia* ; Humans ; Stroke*

BACKGROUND: Although current guidelines do not recommend immediate anticoagulation therapy (IAC) for acute ischemic stroke, judicious debates are still lingering on whether it might be done for acute cardioembolic stroke (ACES). We surveyed current practice patterns of anticoagulation therapy for ACES in Korea, and analyzed their related factors. METHODS: Using a web-based system, all neurology staffs of training hospitals in Korea surveyed about when and how they commenced anticoagulation therapy in the hypothetical cases with ACES. RESULTS: Of the 359 subjects invited, 281 responded to the e-mail, of whom 76 abstained from participating. The number of participants was therefore 205 (57.1%). Although a few physicians (4.4%) always performed IAC and some (10.7%) never did, most physicians made different decisions according to infarct size and presence of hemorrhagic transformation (HTr): IAC was performed more often in cases with medium-sized or small infarct than large one (68.2% vs. 35.9%, P<0.001), and in cases without HTr (68.6% vs. 34.9%, P<0.001). The most common method of administration was 'heparin followed by warfarin' (68.2%), and then 'warfarin alone' or 'warfarin with aspirin'. If IAC was not commenced, it resumed most commonly between 1 and 2 weeks after the onset (44.0%). CONCLUSION: Quite many neurologists in Korea did IAC in selective ACES, e.g. small sized infarction without HTr. Further studies are needed to prove the efficacy of IAC therapy in this selective population.
Atrial Fibrillation ; Electronic Mail ; Heparin ; Infarction ; Korea ; Neurology ; Stroke ; Taurine

Apraxia of speech (AOS) is a disorder in programming the speech musculature to produce the correct sounds of words in the proper sequence. Pure AOS without other speech-language deficit is very rare. We report a patient with AOS without aphasia developed after the left insular infarction. For the case of impaired speech production, AOS should be recognized as a differential diagnosis. Correct diagnosis and early institution of speech therapy may have important implications in the prognosis of AOS.
Aphasia ; Apraxias* ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Infarction* ; Prognosis ; Speech Therapy

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Elucidating the factors that predict the quality of life (QOL) in stroke patients is important. However, the residual sensory symptoms that are common in stroke patients have not usually been included as factors that influence the QOL. The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the factors that predict the QOL of chronic-stage patients with special attention to residual sensory symptoms. METHODS: We examined 214 patients who had experienced a first-time stroke during the subacute (i.e., approximately 3 months poststroke) stage; 151 patients from this group were followed up by telephone interview during the chronic (i.e., approximately 3 years poststroke) stage. Physical disabilities, including motor dysfunction, sensory symptoms that included central poststroke pain (CPSP, described using a standardized questionnaire with a visual analogue scale), activities of daily living (ADL, measured by the Barthel index score), as well as the presence of depression (using the DSM IV criteria), were assessed during both the subacute and chronic stages. Economic and job statuses during the chronic stage were also assessed. QOL ratings were determined by the World Health Organization QOL scale. RESULTS: The following factors at 3 months poststroke were related to low QOL at 3 years poststroke: dependency in ADL, motor dysfunction, depression, and CPSP. At 3 years poststroke, dependency in ADL, depression, CPSP, poor economic status, and unemployment were all factors that were related to low QOL. Multiple regression analysis showed that dependency in ADL (19%), presence of CPSP (12%), and poor economic status (10%) were important explanatory factors for overall QOL. In the analysis of QOL subdomains, the most important explanatory factors were CPSP for both physical and psychological domains, dependency in ADL for both independence and social-relationships domains, economic status for the environmental domain, and female sex for the spiritual domain. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that dependency in ADL, depression, low socioeconomic status, and the presence of CPSP either at 3 months or 3 years poststroke are factors that are related to a low QOL at 3 years poststroke. The recognition of these factors may allow strategies to be developed to improve the QOL for stroke patients.
Activities of Daily Living ; Depression ; Female ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; Quality of Life* ; Social Class ; Stroke ; Unemployment ; World Health Organization ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Knowledge of a patient's cerebral vascular status is essential for accurately classifying stroke. However, vascular evaluations have been incomplete in previous studies, and a stroke registry based on the results of such vascular investigations has not been reported. The purpose of the present study was to classify ischemic strokes based on vascular imaging data. METHODS: Between May 2001 and August 2003, 1,264 patients with acute (< 7 days) ischemic stroke were admitted to Asan Medical Center. Among them, 1,167 patients (750 men and 417 women; mean age 63.3 years) underwent an angiogram (mostly a magnetic resonance angiogram) and were included in this study. Electrocardiography and computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging were performed in all patients, while 31.2% underwent echocardiography. The subtypes were categorized with the aid of a modification of the Trial of ORG 10172 in the Acute Stroke Treatment classification. RESULTS: Large-artery atherosclerosis (LAA) was the most frequent subtype (42%), followed by small-vessel occlusion (SVO, 27%), cardiogenic embolism (CE, 15%), undetermined etiology (15%), and other determined etiology (1.5%). Risk factors included hypertension (71%), cigarette smoking (35%), diabetes mellitus (30%), history of previous stroke (22.7%), emboligenic cardiac diseases (20%), and hypercholesterolemia (11%). Hypertension was more common in patients with SVO than in those with other subtypes (p<0.05), and the case-fatality rate was higher in patients with CE than in those with other subtypes (p<0.01). The functional outcome was worse in patients with LAA than in those with other stroke subtypes (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: According to the stroke registry based on vascular imaging results, LAA was the most common stroke subtype followed by SVD. The high incidence of LAA is probably related to the increased identification of the presence of intracranial atherosclerosis by MR angiogram.
Atherosclerosis ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Classification ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diagnosis ; Echocardiography ; Electrocardiography ; Embolism ; Female ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Intracranial Arteriosclerosis ; Male ; Risk Factors ; Smoking ; Stroke*

Superficial siderosis results from the deposition of hemosiderin in subpial layers of the central nervous system following hemorrhage in subarachnoid spaces. Infratentorial superficial siderosis (ISS) presents with unique clinical features including progressive hearing loss, ataxia, and myelopathy, and the most common cause of idiopathic ISS is dural abnormality. Here we report a case of idiopathic ISS with radiological findings of spontaneous intracranial hypotension, whose clinical symptoms of ISS including cerebellar dysfunction improved after supine position was maintained for 2 months.
Ataxia ; Central Nervous System ; Cerebellar Diseases ; Hearing Loss ; Hemorrhage ; Hemosiderin ; Intracranial Hypotension ; Siderosis ; Spinal Cord Diseases ; Subarachnoid Space ; Subdural Effusion ; Supine Position