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

Background: 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. Methods: 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. Results: 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%). Conclusions: TEG results have important clinical implications in the early diagnosis of acute cerebral infarction.