Coagulation-fibrinolysis abnormalities in acute and chronic phases of cerebral thrombosis and embolism

Abstract

We assayed plasma concentrations of fibrinogen, fibrinopeptide A, plasmin-α2 plasm in inhibitor complex, D dimer, and antith rombin III activity in 40 patients with cerebral thrombosis and nine patients with cerebral embolism during the acute (<7 days), subacute (7–27 days), and chronic (≥28 days) periods and compared these with 69 controls. In cerebral thrombosis, fibrinogen and fibrinopeptide A levels were elevated significantly in all stages (P<0.001), whereas plasmin-α2 plasmin inhibitor complex and D dimer levels were elevated significantly in the subacute and chronic periods. The antithrombin III activity was significantly decreased in the acute stage. The elevation of fibrinogen and plasmin-α2 plasmin inhibitor complex levels in the acute stage was significantly greater in patients with an infarct size greater than 10 mm2 compared to patients with an infarct size less than 10 mm2. We observed similar changes in patients with cerebral embolism. These results suggest that enhanced coagulation exists at all stages and endogenous fibrinolysis is activated in the subacute and chronic periods in a large proportion of patients with cerebral thrombosis and embolism. © 1990 American Heart Association, Inc.