Overall, stroke is a common disease that can have devastating results. Treatment of stoke has been, for the most part, supportive in nature. Recently, more aggressive intervention has been used, particularly thrombolysis. Although such intervention can have devastating consequences, it has shown some promise, particularly in the arena of intraarterial administration. Although much work is needed to find the ideal agents and methods of administration, screening of patients may hold the key to success and the limitations of complications. Determination of exactly which patients will benefit and which will not and which will have complications and which will not, remains for the most part an enigma. Only through further investigation in a controlled, collaborative manner can such information be obtained.