Should Leukoaraiosis Affect the Decision for Acute Stroke Thrombolysis?

Leukoaraiosis is associated with an increased risk for symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage and poor functional outcomes after acute stroke thrombolysis.

Leukoaraiosis (LA) is a manifestation of ischemic and inflammatory changes to the small arteries and arterioles of the brain and is characterized by local endothelial dysfunction, vessel wall remodeling, and loss of autoregulation. Given this pathologic substrate and the association of LA with cognitive and neurorehabilitative impairment, there have been lingering concerns about whether LA may confer an increased risk for symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) and for poorer functional outcome after acute stroke thrombolysis.

Researchers have now synthesized data from 15 studies and 6967 patients to evaluate whether LA is predictive of sICH or poor functional outcome after acute stroke thrombolysis. The overall pooled prevalence of LA w…

Reviewing Authors

Cathra Halabi, MD

Anthony S. Kim, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; NIH/National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences

Anthony S. Kim, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; NIH/National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences

Should Leukoaraiosis Affect the Decision for Acute Stroke Thrombolysis?

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Reviewing Authors