Assessment of therapeutic effects in ischemic stroke

The three fundamental methods of assessing the therapeutic effects in ischemic stroke are measurements of mortality, morbidity and quality of life. Increasingly more sophisticated cerebral blood flow and metabolism determinations are allowing insights into pathophysiology and giving guidance to the most promising therapeutic approaches. Experimental work and pathophysiological studies provide the scientific basis for therapy, but the assessments that ultimately matter to the patient are clinical, and preferably ones derived from controlled clinical trials.