Objective To investigate the risk factors, clinical features and outcomes of patients with large hemispheric infarction (LHI), and explore the association between TOAST classification and LHI. Methods We prospectively registered consecutive cases of acute ischemic stroke at the neurological wards of West China Hospital, Sichuan University from January 1st 2010 to February 29th 2012. We collected the demographic data, risk factors, and other related data, assessed the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores at admission, and followed-up the Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores at the third month from the onset. In different TOAST classifications, univariate analysis and multivariate analysis were used to find predictors for the occurrence and prognosis of LHI. Results Of the enrolled 1 729 patients with acute ischemic stroke, 317 (18.3%) had LHI. The multivariate analysis showed that male, hypertension and onset to admission time were the independent predictive factors for the large-artery atherosclerosis type LHI (P<0.05); atrial fibrillation and valvulopathy were the independent predictive factors for cardioembolism type LHI (P<0.05). Meanwhile, age, hypertension, onset to admission time, and NIHSS and GCS scores at admission were the independent predictive factors for death/disability (mRS>3) within three months (P<0.05). Conclusions Hypertension, gender, onset to admission time, atrial fibrillation, and valvulopathy are independently associated with the occurrence of LHI. Young patients with lower GCS, higher NIHSS scores and no hypertension are more likely to have a better prognosis after LHI.
Objective To assess the effects and safety of Tongxinluo (TXL) Capsule for patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods PubMed (1966 to 2011.12.23), EMbase (1966 to 2011.12.23), Ovid CENTRAL (2011.10), CBM (1978 to 2011.12.23), VIP (1989 to 2011.12.23), CNKI (1980 to 2011.12.23), CDFD (1999 to 2011.12.23), and CDFD (1999 to 2011.12.23) were electronically searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on TXL Capsule for patients with acute ischemic stroke. Meanwhile, relevant data were retrieved by hand search and data from pharmaceutical factories were collected. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data, and assessed the methodological quality. Then, meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.1 software. Results Thirty nine RCTs (non-placebo-controlled trials) involving 3 906 patients were included. The quality of the included studies was generally low. The follow-up time started from the end of treatment (minimum: 7 days) to 6 months. The result of meta-analysis (16 trials, 1 445 patients) showed that the TXL group was better than the control group in improving neurological function (SMD= −1.09, 95%CI −1.68 to −0.49). The result of meta-analysis (21 trials, 2 500 patients) showed that, the effectiveness rate (91.3%) of the TXL group was significantly higher than that of the control group (RR=1.22, 95%CI 1.14 to 1.30). Eight trials reported adverse reactions such as nausea and gastric discomfort. Four trials reported that 5 patients in the control group died during the treatment. No studies reported the data of mortality, dependency rate during 3-month follow up, or quality of life. Conclusion Current studies show that, TXL Capsule improves neurological impairment of patients with acute ischemic stroke which has less adverse reactions. Further studies are still needed to verify the effects of TXL on long-term mortality and disability. It is necessary to conduct more high quality RCTs especially with placebo-controlled trials to confirm the efficacy of Tongxinluo for acute ischemic stroke.