Factors associated with functional disability in patients with acute stroke excluded from alteplase administration due to minor non-disabling neurological deficits.

Background: Although the PRISMS study did not demonstrate the benefit of intravenous alteplase administration in patients with mild stroke within 3 h, about 30% of patients presenting with mild symptoms showed unfavorable functional outcomes. We investigated the factors predictive of functional disability at 90 days in patients who were excluded from alteplase administration due to the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores of 0-5 and a score between 0 and 2 for each NIHSS score item.

Methods: All patients were diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack within 4.