ABSTRACT
Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is a major cause of death and disability in adults. Intra-arterial (IA) fibrinolytic infusion is a treatment for AIS that must be carried out within six hours of the stroke. Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is a thrombolytic agent used for intravenous treatment of AIS in adults, where its effects are well understood. In contrast, safe and efficacious concentrations of IA tPA have not been established. Symptomatic intra-cerebral hemorrhage (SICH) is associated with high rates of both morbidity and death. SICH is evaluated by imaging the brain using head computerized tomography scan or magnetic resonance imaging, at a fixed time, usually either 24 or 48 hours after the start of the infusion. Markov chain Monte Carlo with Gibbs sampling was used o compute posterior mean utilities and posterior probabilities used in the acceptability criteria.
