Comparison of the neurological deficit severity in patients with acute ischemic stroke submitted or not to thrombolytic therapy

Abstract The stroke is responsible for high mortality rates and functional dependency in adults. The early intravenous thrombolytic therapy has been associated with a better functional prognosis. This study aimed to compare the neurological deficit severity in patients receiving or not thrombolytic therapy after stroke. Fifty-six patients were evaluated: eighteen who received thrombolytic therapy (TG group) and thirty-eight who did not receive it (NTG group). Individuals were assessed at the hospital admission and discharge (HD) regarding the severity of the deficit by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). The sample average age was 65.9±11.4 years. GT patients showed significant improvement in NIHSS score between the admission and HD (p=0.004), as well as at the time of HD they showed less severe neurological deficit when compared with NTG group (p=0.028). The incidence of deficit varying from moderate to severe was lower in the TG (p<0.005), and 26.7% of patients did not show deficit at the DH. The patients receiving thrombolytic therapy showed better recovery of neurological deficits evaluated by NIHSS when compared with the group that did not receive thrombolytic therapy.