Ischemic Stroke

Acute Treatment

• Clot-busters, e.g., IV tPA: The most promising treatment for ischemic stroke is the FDA-approved clot-busting drug, IV tPA (intravenous tissue plasminogen activator), which must be administered within a three-hour time window from the first sign of symptoms. Though the national average of those receiving IV tPA is only 3 to 5 percent, University Hospital’s Stroke Team treated 15% of stroke patients with IV tPA in 2010.
• Interventional Neurology: If a patient presents after the three-hour time window, neurointerventional procedures are performed under the guidance of skilled physicians and advanced imaging techniques. Interventional neurologists treat blocked arteries of the brain by removing, breaking-up or even sucking out the blood clot using tiny catheters that are inserted into the groin.

Hemorrhagic Stroke

• Surgical Intervention
  For hemorrhagic stroke, surgical treatment is often recommended to either place a metal clip at the base of the aneurysm or to remove or repair abnormal blood vessels
• Endovascular Procedures, e.g., “coils”
  Endovascular procedures are less invasive and involve the use of a catheter introduced through a major artery in the leg or arm. The catheter is guided to the aneurysm or abnormal blood vessel where it deposits a mechanical agent, such as a coil, to prevent a rupture.

Source: American Heart Association