Treatment of acute clinical stroke

Abstract

Stroke is an emergency. Treatment must begin as soon as possible because significant sustained neurological improvement has been demonstrated when thrombolytic treatment, mainly with recombined tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) is initiated within the first hours of stroke onset. On the other hand in the acute phase of stroke it is critical that patients get adequate management for the prevention of early complications. Management of the acute phase of stroke is the target of this article. Preclinically started treatment must be continued in the neurological emergency unit. Clinical examination is followed by technical investigations: cerebral computer tomography (CCT) is the most useful radiological investigation in the acute phase. It allows to distinguish between ischemia and hemorrhagic lesions and also to rule out nonstroke brain conditions. Multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (mMRI) may provide data on viable versus irreversibly damaged tissue. Sufficient stroke treatment is based on well managed in-hospital infrastructure. Thrombolysis is the only causative treatment of stroke in selected patients. Complications of acute stroke comprise changes of blood pressure with hemodynamically relevant effects on cerebral perfusion pressure, acute post- ischemic brain edema, and intracerebral bleedings.