Endothelial Progenitor Cells Count after Acute Ischemic Stroke Predicts Functional Outcome in Patients with Carotid Atherosclerosis

Objectives: Circulating Endothelial Progenitor Cells (EPCs) predict cardiovascular out-comes in patients with coronary disease. However, the predictive value of EPCs after ischemic stroke is not well established. We aimed to study the prognostic role of EPCs in patients with acute ischemic stroke and carotid atherosclerosis, focusing on post-stroke functional outcome and stroke recurrences. Materials and Methods: We studied consecu-tive adult patients with an acute (