Prognosis of patients with middle cerebral artery occlusion.

The long-term prognosis of 78 stroke patients with occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) or its branches is described. The mean age of the patients was 44 years. The mortality rate in the acute phase was 5%. The acute and total mortality rates of men were higher than those of women (p less than 0.05). Life-table analysis gave 94% probability for one year's survival, 84% for three years' survival, and 78% for five years' survival. Subsequent strokes were twice as common as cardiovascular events as the cause of death. Seventy-two percent of the survivors became fully independent in activities of daily living (ADL) , 27% required assistance, 1% was totally disabled, and 43% returned to work. Left-sided occlusion was overrepresented in those who died (p less than 0.00(1) and those who returned to work (p less than 0.05), and right-sided occlusion was overrepresented in those who required assistance in ADL (p less than 0.05).