FRALYSE Trial: Comparison of the Classical Rt-PA Procedure With a Longer Procedure in Acute Ischemic Stroke

Inclusion Criteria: * Symptoms of ischemic stroke * Presence of a deficit measurable with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) * Lack of any hemorrhagic lesion on the computed tomography (CT) scan at entry * Time of therapy less than 7 hours after onset of stroke * Permanent or aggravating symptoms * Ages 18-81 Exclusion Criteria: * Lack of cerebral infarction or of cranial trauma within 3 weeks before therapy * No surgery within 14 days before therapy * History of cerebral bleeding * Blood pressure: systolic \>185 mmHg and/or diastolic \>110 mmHg * Minor symptoms or symptoms rapidly improving * Gastro-intestinal or urinary hemorrhage within 21 days * Arterial puncture within 7 days before therapy * Epileptic seizure at the beginning of stroke * Patients under oral anticoagulants or having received heparin within 48 hours, and with elevated activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) * Patients with elevated International Normalized Ratio (INR) or thrombocyte count \< 100 x 10\^9 * Blood glucose value \< 2.7 mmol/l or \> 22.2 mmol/l * Cardiac, pulmonary, hepatic or renal failure, not allowing a study over 3 months * History of gastric ulcer within 15 days; gestation and menstruation