Endovascular Therapy Proven for Stroke – Finally!
Cardiologists often remark that the field of ischaemic stroke follows in the footsteps of cardiology, just one to two decades later. In the case of endovascular reperfusion therapies this certainly seems to have been the case but there are now multiple positive randomised trials establishing the benefit of mechanical thrombectomy over and above standard care, which included intravenous alteplase in most cases. We will outline the new evidence, contrast the recent trials with the earlier negative studies and discuss some important differences between acute myocardial infarction and ischaemic stroke and the techniques required to treat them.
Department of Medicine and Neurology, Melbourne Brain Centre at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: bruce.campbell@mh.org.au.
Bruce C V
BC
Campbell
Department of Radiology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Peter J
PJ
Mitchell
Department of Radiology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Richard J
RJ
Dowling
Department of Medicine and Neurology, Melbourne Brain Centre at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Radiology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Bernard
B
Yan
The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Geoffrey A
GA
Donnan
Department of Medicine and Neurology, Melbourne Brain Centre at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Stephen M
SM
Davis
D057510:Endovascular Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D061185:Mechanical Thrombolysis / Q000379:methods*; D020521:Stroke / Q000601:surgery*
Computed tomography perfusion imaging; Endovascular thrombectomy; Ischaemic stroke; Thrombolysis