Document Detail


Diagnosis and thrombolytic therapy of acute basilar artery occlusion: a review.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  12450236     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Acute basilar artery (BA) occlusion is associated with an extremely high mortality. The pathogenesis in younger patients is usually embolism form cardiac sources or less frequently from vertebral artery dissection. Local atherothrombosis is more common in elderly patients. Differently to the carotid territory, for the vertebrobasilar territory there are no placebo controlled studies proving efficacy of thrombolytic treatment. Furthermore, neither the best route of administration nor the best fibrinolytic agent have been evaluated. Several uncontrolled series, however, indicate that intraarterial thrombolysis reduces mortality of patients with BA occlusion. Recanalization rates average 60% and are associated with occlusions of embolic etiology. Mortality with an average rate of 40-60% is significantly lower in the recanalization group in most series. Other independent variables affecting mortality are identified as length of obstruction, proximal BA occlusion, collateralization, high age, and initial poor clinical state. Time from onset of symptoms to start of intraarterial thrombolysis, however, is not associated with recanalization or mortality rate. This indicates that differently from thrombolytic treatment in the anterior circulation there is no fixed time window in BA thrombosis. Rate ofparenchymal hemorrhage seems to be lower with an average of 6% compared with systemic thrombolytic therapy in hemispheric stroke. Recanalization of the BA is clinically beneficial under certain circumstances only: (1) BA occlusion should affect only one segment; (2) an effective collateral supply is essential; and (3) the patient should not already be tetraplegic or comatose for a longer period of time. Clinical outcome and assessment of quality of life on follow-up of survivors with successful recanalization encourage thrombolysis in acute BA occlusions of embolic origin.
Authors:
Tobias Brandt
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Review    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Clinical and experimental hypertension (New York, N.Y. : 1993)     Volume:  24     ISSN:  1064-1963     ISO Abbreviation:  Clin. Exp. Hypertens.     Publication Date:    2002 Oct-Nov
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2002-11-26     Completed Date:  2003-03-12     Revised Date:  2008-11-21    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  9305929     Medline TA:  Clin Exp Hypertens     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  611-22     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, University of Heidelberg School of Medicine, Heidelberg, Germany. tobias_brandt@med.uni-heidelberg.de
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Acute Disease
Humans
Plasminogen Activators / therapeutic use
Prognosis
Thrombolytic Therapy*
Treatment Outcome
Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator / therapeutic use
Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency / diagnosis*,  drug therapy*,  etiology
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
EC 3.4.21.-/Plasminogen Activators; EC 3.4.21.73/Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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