Higher Left Ventricle Mass Indices Predict Favorable Outcome in Stroke Patients with Thrombolysis

Background: We sought to assess the association of left ventricle mass (LVM) indices with the functional outcome of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients after intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV-tPA). Methods: Consecutive AIS patients with IV-tPA were recruited. LVM indices including LVM/weight, LVM/surface, and LVM/height(boolean AND 2.7) on echocardiogram during hospitalization were retrospectively reviewed. Outcome was 90-day modified Rankin scale (mRS) scores. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to analyze the association of LVM indices with outcome. Results: Between August 2010 and May 2014, 55 AIS patients (age range from 27 to 78 years, 69.1% men) with echocardiogram after thrombolysis were recruited. Lower baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS; P = .009) and higher LVM indices (LVM/weight [P 5.012], LVM/surface [P = .039], and LVM/height(boolean AND 2.7) [P = .045]) were significantly associated with 90-day favorable outcome (mRS, 0-2). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, LVM/weight independently predicted good outcome with an odds ratio of 3.89 (95% confidence interval, 1.05-14.42, P = .042) after adjustment for baseline NIHSS, onset-to-treatment time, hypertension, hemorrhagic transformation, and systolic left ventricle inner diameters. Conclusions: Higher LVM indices on echocardiogram are significantly associated with favorable outcome in stroke patients with IV-tPA, among which LVM/weight seems to be the most effective. (C) 2015 by National Stroke Association