The ESTREL trial randomized 610 patients with ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke and hemiparesis to levodopa or placebo with standardized rehabilitation. At three months, motor recovery did not differ between groups (median Fugl-Meyer score 68 vs 64; mean difference −0.9, below the 6-point threshold for clinical relevance). Functional outcomes, quality-of-life scores, and adverse event rates, including infections and neuropsychiatric events, were comparable.

Source: JAMA