Efficacy of Edaravone in Cardioembolic Stroke

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the efficacy of edaravone in patients with cardioembolic stroke. METHODS: Cardioembolic stroke patients were treated with drip intravenous infusion of edaravone (ED group, n=141) for 7 days, and were retrospectively compared with a historical-controlled cohort of similar patients (control group, n=114). RESULTS: Early improvement (between day 0 and day 10), defined as change in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), was seen more frequently in mild patients (NIHSS on admission < or = 7) among the ED group than in the control group (change in NIHSS +2 vs. -2, respectively, p=0.013). Similar efficacy was not seen in the moderate to severe (NIHSS >7) patients. Independent patients (modified Rankin Scale < or = 2) 6 months after the onset were likely to be less frequent in the ED than the control group (28% versus 41%; p=0.066). Other clinical outcomes in the ED group were not significantly different from those in the control group. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that edaravone may only be effective in mild patients with cardioembolic stroke.