Effects of alteplase beyond 3 h after stroke in the Echoplanar Imaging Thrombolytic Evaluation Trial (EPITHET): a placebo-controlled randomised trial

Abstract

Summary Background Whether intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (alteplase) is effective beyond 3 h after onset of acute ischaemic stroke is unclear. We aimed to test whether alteplase given 3–6 h after stroke onset promotes reperfusion and attenuates infarct growth in patients who have a mismatch in perfusion-weighted MRI (PWI) and diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI).