Advances in the medical management of cerebral vascular disease

In the past 20 years treatment appears to have had a major impact on all forms of cerebral vascular disease. Morbidity and mortality from strokes have declined nearly 50% in developed countries. Modern imaging techniques, methodology, and biostatistics have identified risk factors and refined clinical trials such that we question all previous studies of stroke management. Control of moderate and severe hypertension has significantly lowered stroke rates. In borderline and mild hypertension the decision to treat is influenced by other stroke risk factors including diabetes mellitus, cigarette smoking, ischaemic heart disease, plasma lipid levels, gout, haematocrit, and body weight. Current data indicate that anticoagulants are of no value, or hazardous, in atherothrombotic strokes; of unknown value in transient ischaemic attacks; of dubious value in evolving strokes; and beneficial in cardiac embolism. The cardiac causes, including mural thrombus, unstable arrhythmias, and mitral valve prolapse should be actively sought. Aspirin, as the prototype anti-platelet agent, holds promise in transient ischemic attacks and minor strokes at both small and moderate dosages. Ticlopine is now being critically evaluated in America. Use of cerebral vasodilators should be abandoned. Enthusiasm in the use of streptokinase and urokinase has been dampened by the conversion of ischemic infarcts into haemorrhagic infarcts. In subarachnoid haemorrhage epsilon-aminocaprioc acid is useful although hazardous, in preventing rebleeding. Certain calcium ion channel blockers are promising in the reduction of vasopasm. Since the November 1985 article in the new England Journal of Medicine on the failure of external-to-internal carotid arterial bypass to reduce the risk of ischemic stroke, the swing is back to conservative management.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)