Intravenous thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke

Strategic trend in the treatment of acute stroke resulted from thrombosis or embolization of intracerebral arteries is reperfusion of the blood flow in the ischemic area – thrombolysis. The modern methods of neuroimaging (CT and MR-angiography, diffusion and perfusion-weighted MRI, CT perfusion) play an important role in the thrombolysis decision making, as they allow to visualize the occlusion of the artery causing acute stroke, recanalization of the artery due to thrombolytic therapy, as well as the dynamics of the blood flow and metabolism in the respective brain regions. The presented clinical examples demonstrate the high efficacy of the thrombolytic treatment in acute ischemic stroke under the condition of absolute compliance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria to this therapy. The treatment of patients with acute stroke should be guided by the principles of evidence-based medicine and rely on adequate diagnostic algorithm of neuroimaging methods.