Imaging Negative Stroke: Diagnoses and Outcomes in Intravenous Tissue Plasminogen Activator-Treated Patients

Because most INS patients were found to have NNCI, which may represent either transient ischemic attack or aborted stroke, and there were no intracerebral hemorrhages in the INS group, our data support the safety of administering IV t-PA to all patients in whom acute ischemic stroke is clinically suspected. We have demonstrated that NNCI patients and stroke mimics are common, and future larger scale prospective studies are required to delineate the true frequencies of each and to evaluate differences in outcomes.