The Clinical Implications of Thrombelastography in the Diagnosis of Acute Cerebral Infarction.

Abstract

Thrombelastography (TEG) is an analyzer reflecting the dynamic changes of blood coagulation. It has been used as a diagnosis index in many diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between TEG and acute cerebral infarction. Eighty patients with acute cerebral infarction and 80 healthy controls were enrolled. Each patient's TEG results and routine coagulation indices were recorded. All analyses were conducted with SPSS16.0 software. Patients with acute cerebral infarction showed lower TEG R and K levels but higher TEG MA levels. There was a significantly negative correlation between TEG R and fibrinogen in the patient group. In addition, receiver operator characteristic curve analysis showed that TEG MA (cutoff value 63.9 mm) was a predictor of acute cerebral infarction (AUC value = 0.741, sensitivity 61%, specificity 81%). TEG results have important clinical implications in the early diagnosis of acute cerebral infarction.