Safely Expanding the Time Window of Thrombolysis: Gregory W. Albers, MD

Intravenous thrombolytic therapy with alteplase has generally been the standard care for eligible patients within 4.5 hours after the onset of ischemic stroke. One limitation for extending the time window for thrombolysis has been an increase in the incidence of intracranial hemorrhage. TIMELESS, a multicenter, placebo-controlled trial, tested the hypothesis that intravenous tenecteplase, initiated 4.5 to 24 hours after stroke onset, would provide a benefit in patients who had a large-vessel occlusion of the internal carotid artery or the first (M1) or second (M2) segments of the middle cerebral artery and had evidence of salvageable ischemic brain tissue identified on CT perfusion or MRI perfusion.

Led by Gregory W. Albers, MD, the trial featured 458 enrolled patients with ischemic stroke, most of which (77.3%) subsequently underwent thrombectomy prior to receiving either tenecteplase (n = 228) or placebo (n = 230). At 90 days, the 2 groups showed no significant differences in modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores (adjusted OR, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.82-1.57; P = .45; favoring tenecteplase), the primary end point, with similar incidence rates of intracerebral hemorrhage (tenecteplase: 3.2% vs placebo: 2.3%). In addition, the incidence of recanalization at 24 hours appeared to be higher with tenecteplase, but the incidence of reperfusion was similar in the 2 groups at the end of the procedure.

All told, the study highlighted the fact that tenecteplase can be safely administered in late-window patients with ischemic stroke. Albers, a professor of neurology and director of the Stanford Stroke Center, recently sat down with NeurologyLive^® to discuss the expansion of endovascular therapy and the previous studies before TIMELESS. He spoke on the subgroups of patients from the study that benefitted more from Tenecteplase, and the need to further confirm these findings in large-scale studies. Additionally, he discussed the complexities with conducting trials in this patient population and whether outcomes vary based on the time tenecteplase is given following thrombectomy.