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Support for IV tPA in ischaemic stroke in elderly people

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In Europe, use of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) in patients older than 80 years is discouraged because these patients have been excluded from certain past clinical trials. A new retrospective, observational study shows that tPA can substantially improve functional outcome after ischaemic stroke in patients aged 80–89 years.

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Acknowledgements

S.R.L. has received grants U10NS077378 and U10NS080377 from the NIH.

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Correspondence to Steven R. Levine.

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Competing interests

S.R.L. serves on the scientific advisory and steering committee of and as a site investigator for PRISMS, a Genentech-sponsored, phase IIIb, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV tPA) for minor stroke. He has also received an investigator-initiated grant from Genentech to study physician decision making in the use of tPA for minor and rapidly improving stroke. He has provided expert testimony for both patients and physicians concerning IV tPA. S.W.L. declares no competing interests.

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Law, S., Levine, S. Support for IV tPA in ischaemic stroke in elderly people. Nat Rev Neurol 12, 8–9 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2015.231

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