Factors influencing outcome in acute ischaemic stroke : outcome scales, the role of blood glucose and rtPA treatment

This thesis describes several aspects that influence outcome in acute ischaemic strok. In the first part, two frequently used outcome scales - the Barthel index and modified Rankin scale - are studied and for both scales, optimal endpoints for stroke trials are proposed. In the second part, the relation between admission blood glucose levels and functional outcome in lacunar and non-lacunar strokes is examined. The third part deals with safety aspects of treatment with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator for acute ischaemic stroke. Various prognostic markers for both outcome and symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage have been investigated and the results of various subgroupanalyses are presented