Problem Based Approach in Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Baik,  Seung Kug; Kim,  Yong Sun

Review

Neurointervention 2008;3(1):1-6.

Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea. skbaik@knu.ac.kr

Abstract

Ischemic strokes result from thrombotic or embolic occlusion of one of the vessels that supply blood to the brain. The primary constituents of the initial thrombus are platelets and fibrin, with erythrocytes and other blood cells becoming trapped as thrombosis continues. Therefore, the recent improvements in therapy have focused on inhibiting platelets and dissolving fibrin. A new generation of thrombolytic agents (plasminogen activators) has been developed over the last decade. However, the clinical improvement has at best been marginal and the frequency of serious intracranial hemorrhage remains unchanged. Therefore, we have extensively reviewed the medical literature to determine the reason for the unsatisfactory clinical outcomes with current pharmacological therapies.

Key Words: Acute stroke treatment; Thrombolytic therapy; Mechanical thrombectomy