Predictors of hemorrhagic transformation differences between patients treated or not with reperfusion therapy.

Background: Hemorrhagic transformation (HT) is a dreaded complication in stroke patients who were treated or not with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). There are many predictive scores of HT, but all of them included patients treated with tPA. Molecular effects of tPA and clinical aspects of eligible patients for tPA therapy may imply specific HT's risk factors.

Predicting hemorrhagic transformation in patients not submitted to reperfusion therapies.

Background: Well studied in patients with ischemic stroke after reperfusion therapies (RT), hemorrhagic transformation (HT) is also common in patients not treated with RT and can lead to disability even in initially asymptomatic cases. The best predictors of HT in patients not treated with RT are not well established. Therefore, we aimed to identify predictors of HT in patients not submitted to RT and create a user-friendly predictive score (PROpHET).

Decompressive craniectomy versus conservative treatment: limits and possibilities in malignant stroke.

Background: Malignant infarction of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) occurs in a subgroup of patients with ischemic stroke and early decompressive craniectomy (DC) is one of its treatments.

Objective: To investigate the functional outcome of patients with malignant ischemic stroke treated with decompressive craniectomy at a neurological emergency center in Northeastern Brazil.

Methods: Prospective cohort study, in which 25 patients were divided into two groups: those undergoing surgical treatment with DC and those who continued to receive standard conservative treatment (CT).