Remote cerebral hematomas in patients treated with intravenous rt-PA

J Neurol. 2010 Jul;257(7):1062-6. doi: 10.1007/s00415-010-5462-2. Epub 2010 Feb 6.

Abstract

The frequency, clinical presentation, radiological features, and prognosis of remote cerebral hematomas (rPH) are not well known. We report our experience in patients treated with intravenous rt-PA. We reviewed our database of consecutive patients treated at our hospital from 1999 to 2008. We used the inclusion/exclusion criteria of the ECASS-2 study from 1999 to 2003, and the criteria of the SITS-MOST study since 2004. A follow-up CT scan was obtained in all of the patients within the first 36 h of treatment. Cerebral hemorrhagic complications were classified as hemorrhagic infarction (HI-1/HI-2) and parenchymal hematoma (PH-1/PH-2). The rPH was defined as any extra-ischemic hemorrhagic lesion observed in the follow-up CT. A favorable outcome was defined as a score 0-1 on the Rankin scale at 3 months. We treated 210 patients (mean age 67.6 +/- 12.4 years, 56% were men). The median initial NIHSS score was 14. Patients with rPH (n = 7) had a mean age of 72.4 +/- 7.5 years and 43% were men. The median initial NIHSS score was 15. Three patients had multifocal rPH; three patients had a single rPH and in one patient the rPH was associated with a PH-2. rPH were lobar in six patients and in brainstem in one patient, symptomatic in five patients and asymptomatic in two patients. The outcome was unfavorable in all of them; four deaths (57%) were recorded. Remote cerebral hemorrhage is an infrequent complication after rt-PA treatment (3.3%), it is usually lobar and symptomatic and has an uniformly unfavorable outcome.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Brain / blood supply
  • Brain / pathology
  • Brain / physiopathology
  • Cerebral Arteries / drug effects
  • Cerebral Arteries / pathology
  • Cerebral Arteries / physiopathology
  • Cerebral Hemorrhage / chemically induced*
  • Cerebral Hemorrhage / physiopathology
  • Female
  • Fibrinolytic Agents / administration & dosage
  • Fibrinolytic Agents / adverse effects*
  • Humans
  • Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / drug therapy
  • Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / etiology
  • Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / physiopathology
  • Iatrogenic Disease / prevention & control
  • Infusions, Intravenous
  • Intracranial Thrombosis / drug therapy*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mortality
  • Recombinant Proteins / administration & dosage
  • Recombinant Proteins / adverse effects
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Stroke / drug therapy*
  • Thrombolytic Therapy / adverse effects*
  • Thrombolytic Therapy / methods
  • Tissue Plasminogen Activator / administration & dosage
  • Tissue Plasminogen Activator / adverse effects*

Substances

  • Fibrinolytic Agents
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Tissue Plasminogen Activator