Endovascular treatment in patients with acute ischemic stroke: technical aspects and results

Ischemic stroke is the primary cause of acquired disability in the world and its treatment is still a challenge. Intravenous (IV) thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) administered within 4½ hours of the onset of the symptoms is the only approved medical treatment in the acute phase of cerebral infarction. However, its efficacy is limited where there is proximal intracranial arterial occlusion, and there are many contraindications. The endovascular approach, combined or not with IV thrombolysis, allows high rates of recanalization to be achieved within a short period of time, with a low rate of procedural complications when thrombolysis is less effective (internal carotid artery, M1 segment of the middle cerebral artery). In these situations, endovascular techniques are playing an increasing role in the treatment of these patients even though there is still no indisputable scientific proof of their efficacy. The priority at present is to finish the French THRACE study, but it is already time to think about the next one.