The relationship between blood nitric oxide levels and brain infarct volume in patients with ischemic stroke Comparison nitric oxide levels and ischemic volume in stroke

Aim: Cerebrovascular disease (CVD) is the third leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Most risk factors disrupt the contraction and enlargement of the cerebrovascular endothelium. One of the main players in the maintenance of cerebrovascular homeostasis is nitric oxide (NO). In this study, we aimed to investigate the level of NO in patients with ischemic stroke and to determine the role of NO by comparing the infarct volumes of patients' brain as measured by computed tomography (CT) with the levels of NO. Material and Methods: This is a prospective observational study. Blood samples and brain computed tomography images were taken at 0 and 24 hours from the ischemic stroke patients. Serum NO levels and the volumes of ischemic brain lesions were measured using CT imaging. Results: In our study, we had 60 patients who are diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke and 37 healthy individuals. Mean NO levels in stroke patients were significantly lower compared with the control group. Patients were classified into 3 groups as 0-7, 8-14.15s according to their NIHSS scores to compare their NO levels and infarct volumes. When the infarct volume of the group, which had an NIHSS score of 15s at 0 hours was compared with the other groups, it was found to be significantly higher (p<0.001). NO levels in the same group at 0 hours were significantly lower than in the other groups. Discussion: The relationship between serum NO levels and brain infarct volume in ischemic stroke patients was clearly demonstrated in our study.