and Neurosurgery,

Background. Intravenous thrombolysis has been shown as an appropri-ate treatment for stroke patients within 3–4.5 hours from the onset of stroke in randomized and observational studies, yet extended therapeutic window remains off-label in routine clinical setting. The aim of our study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravenous thrombolysis within 3–4.5 hours for acute stroke patients in Lithuania. Methods. In this pair-matched case control study stroke patients treat-ed by intravenous thrombolysis during January 2002 – May 2010 were included. The patients were divided into two groups according to onset-to-needle time (0–180 min. (group I), and 181–270 min. (group II)), and were pair-matched 1: 1 according to age and stroke severity. The primary end-point was good functional status after 3 months. Mortality and rates of life-threatening bleeding and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage were used for analysis of safety profile. Results. 28 pairs were included in the final analysis. The mean onset