Acute stroke therapy: Beyond IV tPA

Anthony J. Furlan

ABSTRACT

Although intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV tPA) has been approved for treating acute ischemic stroke, it must be given within 3 hours of stroke onset and only after ruling out hemorrhagic stroke by computed tomography. Several medical centers are turning to angiography to guide intra-arterial infusion of thrombolytic agents and mechanical endovascular interventions.

Footnotes

↵* The author has indicated that he has received grant or research support from the Possis corporation, serves as a consultant for the Abbott and Lilly corporations, and is on the speakers’ bureau of the Bristol-Myers Squibb corporation. This paper discusses therapies that are not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the use under discussion.