Endovascular Management of Acute Ischemic Stroke
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
By: Dr. Rafael Ortiz

AOLHealth.com

Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the most common cause of disability in the United States. There are two types of stroke: ischemic and hemorrhagic. Ischemic stokes, which make up 85 percent of all strokes, are due to an occlusion of an artery inside the head. They are most commonly caused by obesity, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, carotid disease and intracranial atherosclerotic disease.

The best way of preventing disability is by decreasing the risk of stroke by controlling the comorbidities and risk factors. After a stroke occurs, there are several treatments that can be implemented in the acute setting to try to decrease the risk of death and prevent severe permanent disability.

The most widely available treatment is the administration of intravenous thrombolytics, known as tPA. This treatment must be initiated in the first 4.5 hours after the beginning of the stroke symptoms in patients, who fulfill the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Treatment with intravenous tPA has been proven beneficial, as demonstrated by neurological examinations three months after the stroke. In some cases -- mainly in those with occlusion of the larger arteries of the brain -- there is still a poor prognosis after intravenous tPA.

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