Thrombolytic Therapy for Ischemic Stroke
From Clinical Trials to Clinical Practice
- J. P. Mohr, MD
- Author Affiliation: Neurological Institute, New York, NY.
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
Intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) for ischemic stroke has broken a major therapeutic barrier, and much more progress is certain to follow. Steadily accumulating data continue to justify current guidelines for use of tPA in stroke,1 and demonstrate that low complication rates can be achieved with proper use of this therapy. Renewed interest in hyperacute treatment of stroke may breathe new life into neuroprotective agents and acute interventional and surgical therapies, alone or with tPA.
Two studies2-3 in this issue of THE JOURNAL reflect 2 perspectives on the tPA experience. In the first, Albers and colleagues2 present data from a prospective, multicenter study that provides further evidence that physicians with experience using tPA can replicate the favorable outcomes and similar complication rates reported in earlier studies.4-6 Of 389 enrolled patients, the 30-day mortality rate was 13% and the rate of intracerebral hemorrhage …
