A Simple 3-Item Stroke Scale

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to design a simple stroke scale that requires minimal training but reflects initial stroke severity and is predictive of middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion. METHODS: The new stroke scale assessed 3 parameters: (1) level of consciousness, (2) gaze, and (3) motor function. Each item was graded 0 to 2, where 0 indicated normal findings and 2 severe abnormalities (ie, profound drowsiness or worse, forced gaze deviation, and severe hemiparesis, respectively). During a study period of 11 months, patients presenting with acute stroke symptoms (onset or =4 predicted proximal vessel occlusion (T-segment or M1-segment occlusion of the MCA on MRA) almost as accurately (overall accuracy 0.86) as an NIHSS score of >or =14 (overall accuracy 0.93). CONCLUSIONS: The new stroke scale reflects acute stroke severity well and predicts proximal MCA occlusion with reasonable accuracy. However, the clinical scale needs further evaluation before it can be recommended as a tool for the triage of acute stroke patients.