Effect of One-Shot Intravenous 0.42 Mega Unit Urokinase Therapy in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke

We evaluated the efficacy of intravenous (IV) urokinase (UK) treatment for acute ischemic stroke patients. We treated 45 patients with 0.42 mega units of IV UK and 201 patients with other conventional agents. Clinical severity and outcome were evaluated using National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores and modified Rankin scale (mRS). We defined clinical improvement as a reduction of NIHSS score of > 4 points between admission and discharge. The rate of improvement, as defined earlier, was significantly higher in the UK group (27/45; 60%) than in the non-UK group (67/201, 33%) (P = .0009; χ2 test). The rate of mRS 0-2 (good outcome) on discharge in the UK group (28/45; 62%) was slightly (but not significantly) higher than that in the non-UK group (99/201; 49%). Baseline characteristics, including risk factors, did not differ between the 2 groups, except for time to treatment and length of hospitalization. We conclude that treatment of acute ischemic stroke patients with 0.42 mega units of IV UK shows better clinical improvement than conventional therapy.