Levodopa Added to Stroke Rehabilitation

Does levodopa therapy added to standardized rehabilitation improve stroke recovery compared with standardized rehabilitation alone?In this randomized clinical trial including 610 participants, motor function at 3 months (measured by the Fugl-Meyer Assessment total score) was not significantly different between the levodopa plus standardized rehabilitation group compared with the placebo plus standardized rehabilitation group (median, 68 points vs 64 points, respectively; adjusted mean between-group difference, −0.90 points).These results do not support routine use of levodopa for motor recovery in unselected patients with stroke undergoing rehabilitation.

Corresponding Author: Stefan T. Engelter, MD, Department of Rehabilitation and Neurology, University Department of Geriatric Medicine FELIX PLATTER, University of Basel, Burgfelderstrasse 101, 4055 Basel, Switzerland (stefan.engelter@felixplatter.ch).

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