INFLUENCE OF SHORT TERM INTRAVENOUS ANTICOAGULATIONTHERAPY IN PATIENTS WITH ISCHEMIC CEREBROVASCULAR EVENTS

Progressive stroke (ps) and crescendo transient ischemic attacks (ctia) is agenerally accepted although unproven, indication for urgent intravenous anticoagulation therapy.methods: consecutive patients with ps and ctiaadmitted in ghaem hospital, mashhad during2007 - 20 08 enrolled in a prospective clinical study. ps and ctia patients underwent intravenousheparin therapy with 1000 units per hour without a bolus dose at least for 3 days. ps andctia patients who had a contraindication for intravenous heparin therapy, received 80 mg aspirinper day. early clinical course including improvement, stabilization, deterioration and developmentof residual stroke was evaluated in two therapeutic groups of ps and ctia patients.results: 170 ps patients (103 males , 67 females) with mean age of 60-4 ± 12.3 years and 88ctia pati ents (50 males, 38 females) with mean age of 60.1 ± 6.8 years were assessed. 141 psand 64 ctia patients received short period intravenous heparinization. distribution of subtypesof early clinical course between two th erapeutic groups of ps and ctia patients, was significantly different; x^2 = 10-487, df = 2, p = 0.005 and x^2 = 6.72, df = 2, p = 0.035 respectively. distributionof residual stroke in two therapeutic grou ps of ps and ctia patients, was not signifi cantlydifferent ; x^2 = 1.443, df = 1, p = 0 .23 , or = 0.557 (0.212-1.462) and x^2 = 1.01, df = 1, p =0.315, or =0.617 (0 .24-1.587) respectively.conclusion: ps and ctia patients who und erwent short period intravenous heparin th erapyhave significantly more probability of improvement and less probability of det erioration in th eirearly clinical course than ps and ctiapatients who received aspirin therapy.