Mechanisms, Imaging, and Therapy in Stroke Recovery

Excerpt

Although the majority of phase II/III clinical trials of neuroprotective drugs have failed, recent clinical trials of endovascular recanalization using mechanical thrombectomy were proved effective for acute stroke patients with large vessel occlusions [1‐7]. Absolute improvement with endovascular therapy has been found to range between 13.5 to 31 %, whereas thrombolytics alone also significantly improve patient functional independence, but to a lesser degree [8]. A meta-analysis provided evidence that for eligible patients with acute ischemic stroke in the setting of large vessel occlusions, outcomes were improved by endovascular intervention combined with medical management, including IV tissue plasminogen activator [9]. Along with recent trends showing a relative reduction in stroke mortality by over 30 % [10], these recent advances now make it even more important to dissect the mechanisms of post-stroke recovery and develop efficacious therapies to reduce disability in survivors of acute ischemic stroke. …