Statins in Ischemic Stroke Prevention: What Have We Learned in the Post-SPARCL (The Stroke Prevention by Aggressive Reduction in Cholesterol Levels) Decade?

Purpose of review We describe the current status of lipid-lowering therapies for ischemic stroke prevention. The SPARCL trial published in 2006 has been a landmark study in vascular neurology. The trial demonstrated that high-dose atorvastatin prevents recurrent stroke, and led the AHA/ASA to recommend statin therapy for patients with stroke or TIA of atherosclerotic origin.