ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Tenecteplase has probably pharmacological and clinical advantages in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke. There are lacking data about safety and efficacy of tenecteplase in wake-up stroke (WUPS). AIMS: To investigate safety and efficacy of tenecteplase compared to alteplase in WUPS patients included in NOR-TEST. METHODS: WUPS patients in NOR-TEST were included in the study based on DWI-FLAIR mismatch. Included patients randomly assigned (1:1) to receive intravenous tenecteplase 0.4 mg/kg (to a maximum of 40 mg) or alteplase 0.9 mg/kg (to a maximum of 90 mg). Neurological improvement was defined as 1) favorable functional outcome at 90 days modified Rankin Scale (mRS) of 0 or 1 and 2) neurological improvement measured with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) of 4 points within 24 hours as compared to admission NIHSS or NIHSS 0 at 24 hours. RESULTS: Of 1100 patients from 13 stroke centers included in NOR-TEST, 45 were WUPS patients. Of these, 5 patients were stroke mimics and excluded. Of the remaining 40 patients (3.6%), 24 were treated with alteplase (60%). There was no difference in the number of patients achieving a good clinical outcome (mRS 0-1) in either treatment group. Patients treated with tenecteplase showed a better early neurological improvement (87.5% vs 54.2%, P = 0.027). No ICH was detected on MRI/CT 24-28 hours after thrombolysis. CONCLUSIONS: In WUPS patients treated in NOR-TEST, there was no difference in clinical outcomes at 90 days and no ICH events or deaths were observed in either alteplase- or tenecteplase-treated patients. Clinical Trial Registration-URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01949948.
