Intravenous (IV) administration of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) is the only approved therapy in patients with acute ischemic stroke presenting within 3 hours of symptom onset. Approximately 17-30% of ischemic strokes are found on awakening. Since stroke onset cannot be determined for patients who awake with stroke, they are de facto ineligible for thrombolytic therapy. Nevertheless, it is possible that some patients suffered their stroke within a few hours prior to become awake, and may thus be good candidates for thrombolysis. Combined diffusion- (DWI) and perfusion- (PWI) weighted MR imaging (MRI) is able to identify hypoperfused but still viable brain tissue, the potentially salvageable ischemic penumbra (PWI-DWI mismatch). A recent study has examined 34 patients with wake-up stroke and a median National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score of 13 (range 6 to 22) with DWI and PWI. The authors found that 73% of patients presenting with non-lacunar stroke within 3 hours of waking from sleep had a PWI-DWI mismatch with larger hypoperfused areas. This imaging pattern may be associated with potential benefit from thrombolysis beyond the current 3-hour window. Induced or spontaneous reperfusion of brain areas with initial PWI hypoperfusion has been associated with reduced infarction and a favourable clinical outcome. A phase IIa placebo-controlled safety and pilot efficacy trial of abciximab in patients with acute ischemic stroke treated within 24 hours from symptoms onset found that abciximab caused no symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage and showed a trend toward a higher rate of patients with minimal residual disability1. Thus, abciximab may be an attractive therapy option in patients with wake-up stroke and a PWI-DWI mismatch.~The purpose of the prospective, randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled multicenter pilot study is to evaluate the effectiveness of abciximab on rescuing the hypoperfused brain tissue, as assessed by MRI, and the relative safety of abciximab in patients with wake-up stroke.
The purpose of the prospective, randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled multicenter pilot study is to evaluate the effectiveness of abciximab on rescuing the hypoperfused brain tissue, as assessed by MRI, and the relative safety of abciximab in patients with wake-up stroke.