PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - R.G. Nogueira
AU  - L.H. Schwamm
AU  - J.A. Hirsch
TI  - Endovascular Approaches to Acute Stroke, Part 1: Drugs, Devices, and Data
AID  - 10.3174/ajnr.A1486
DP  - 2009 Apr 01
TA  - American Journal of Neuroradiology
PG  - 649--661
VI  - 30
IP  - 4
4099  - http://www.ajnr.org/content/30/4/649.short
4100  - http://www.ajnr.org/content/30/4/649.full
SO  - Am. J. Neuroradiol.2009 Apr 01; 30
AB  - SUMMARY: Despite years of research and pioneering clinical work, stroke remains a massive public health concern. Since 1996, we have lived in the era of US Food and Drug Administration−approved intravenous (IV) recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA). This treatment, despite its promise, continues to exhibit its limitations. Endovascular therapy has several theoretic advantages over IV rtPA, including site specificity, longer treatment windows, and higher recanalization rates. In this article, we will review the various pharmacologic strategies for acute stroke treatment, providing both a historic context and the state of the art. The drugs will be classified on the basis of their theoretic rationale for therapy. Next, we will review the various devices and strategies for mechanical revascularization with an aim toward comprehensiveness. These range from wire disruption of thrombus to preclinical trials for novel mechanical solutions. This first installment of this 2-part series will end with an analysis of retrograde reperfusion techniques.