Tissue plasminogen activator for acute ischemic stroke in patients with unruptured cerebral aneurysms.

Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) is the most feared complication of thrombolytic therapy for acute ischemic stroke. There are limited data on the risks of thrombolysis in patients with asymptomatic intracranial aneurysm. We report 2 adults with signs of hemispheric ischemia who were successfully treated with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), despite the presence of asymptomatic intracranial aneurysm. The presence of an asymptomatic intracranial aneurysm may not necessarily preclude a good outcome from acute ischemic stroke treated with rt-PA. Selected patients harboring incidental, unruptured intracranial aneurysm may benefit from thrombolytics.
(Copyright © 2000 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)