Ischemic stroke therapy

Stroke is the most common life-threatening neurologic disease and the leading cause of serious long-term disability. The advent of new treatment options for selected patients suffering ischemic stroke (such as systemic administration of tissue plasminogen activator or catheter-guided intra-arterial thrombolysis), the structural reorganization of patient care facilities into stroke units, and interdisciplinary cerebrovascular centers have broadened the scope of possible therapeutic interventions in the acute and postacute phase after cerebral ischemia. This review summarizes currently available and recommended treatment modalities for acute ischemic stroke from an interdisciplinary perspective, including medical, neurointerventional, and neurosurgical therapies.