Objective To retrospectively evaluate the relationship between infarct location and the effectiveness of standard medical treatment combined with butylphthalide administration through analyzing the change in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale （NIHSS） score before and after treatment in patients with ischemic stroke.Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 207 patients with anterior circulation infarction who were hospitalized in the Qujing Second People's Hospital of Yunnan Province from February 2019 to June 2021. They received either standard medical treatment combined with butylphthalide administration （observation group， 127 cases） or standard medical treatment alone （control group， 80 cases）. The NIHSS score before and after treatment was compared between the two groups， and a subgroup analysis was further performed for the prognosis of patients with cortical infarction and those with subcortical infarction.Results There was a significant difference in the change in NIHSS score before and after treatment between the two groups （P=0.011）. The difference in NIHSS score before and after treatment was significantly different between the two groups of patients with cortical infarction （P=0.004）， but not between the two groups of patients with subcortical infarction （P=0.625）.Conclusions Standard medical treatment combined with butylphthalide administration can better improve the function of patients with cortical infarction.