Hemorheologic Treatment of Cerebral Reversible Ischemic Episodes with Pentoxifylline — A Prospective Study

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Abstract
One hundred patients (49 males, 51 females) with reversible neurologic defi cit due to cerebral ischemia of vascular origin in the carotid artery territory were recruited for a long-term observation to follow up recurrence of ischemic events. Fifty-eight patients (mean age sixty-four years) were treated daily with 1200 mg oral pentoxifylline in addition to basic therapy (antihypertensives, antidiabetic drugs, etc), and 42 matching patients (mean age sixty-two years) of a control group had no pentoxifylline or other hemorheologic medication. The mean observation period was fifty-six months (range thirty-six to sixty). On admission patients presented with increased platelet aggregation and/or im paired red cell filterability and with enhanced red cell aggregation. Five pa tients in the pentoxifylline group (8.6%) and 16 control patients (38%) suffered a relapse of an ischemic episode. These data support previous reports of a bene ficial effect of pentoxifylline in the prevention of cerebral ischemic events.