Cerebrospinal fluid prostaglandin F2 alpha in stroke patients: no relationship to the degree of neurological deficit.

The concentration of prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) was measured in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 50 patients with recent stroke divided into three groups in respect to the time (up to 24 h) that expired between cerebrovascular insult and CSF sampling. 10 of the additionally studied persons were neurologically normal (control group). None of the investigated subjects were undergoing any therapy at the time of CSF sampling. The estimation of the neurological score revealed that the stroke patients suffered from acute cerebral ischemic attacks of varying severity. No relationship between the CSF PGF2 alpha and neurological status was found. Within the first 4 h after the stroke a marked increase in PGF2 alpha was found, afterwards being diminished but still enhanced in comparison to the controls.