Ultrasound-aided therapy better than stroke drug alone, t...( Using ultrasound in combination with th...),Health

Using ultrasound in combination with the drug t-PA can improve response to an ischemic stroke, according to a study involving 126 patients. This first-of-its-kind human trial compared the safety and efficacy of ultrasound and t-PA versus use of t-PA alone. The trial was funded in part by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The finding appears in the November 18, 2004, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Since 1996, the clot-busting drug t-PA (tissue plasminogen activator) has been the only FDA-approved therapy for acute ischemic stroke. Previous studies have shown that t-PA, when administered within 3 hours of onset of ischemic stroke, can greatly improve a patient's chance for a full recovery. t-PA cannot be used to treat the less common hemorrhagic stroke.

Researchers wanted to test the effectiveness of using transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) in combination with t-PA, and to ensure that ultrasound did not cause bleeding into the brain. Utrasound is a safe, non-invasive, FDA-approved diagnostic test that uses sound waves to measure blood flow velocity in large arteries. An international team led by Andrei Alexandrov, M.D., associate professor of neurology at the University of Texas-Houston School of Medicine, examined 126 patients who suffered an ischemic stroke. All patients received intravenous t-PA within 3 hours of stroke onset. The 63 patients in the control group received t-PA alone, while the other 63 patients received t-PA in combination with continuous TCD monitoring that started shortly before the patients received the drug. A small device attached to a head frame was used to deliver the ultrasound.

Results showed that 49 percent of patients who received continuous ultrasound and t-PA showed dramatic clinical improvement and little or no blockage within 2 hours after therapy began compared to 30 percent who recei
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Contact: Margo Warren or Paul Girolami
pg100b@nih.gov
301-496-5751
NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
17-Nov-2004

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