Role of Cerebrolysin® in Rehabilitation in Ischemic Stroke: A Case Report

BACKGROUND The criterion standard treatments for ischemic stroke patients, starting from systemic thrombolysis and/or undergoing endovascular recanalization therapy to intensive rehabilitation, are the best options available nowadays, but still cannot achieve total recovery. Neuroprotective and neurotrophic agents seem to be promising therapeutic targets in stroke, even in ischemic and/or hemorrhagic stroke, either in the acute stage or to support neuro-recovery in subacute to chronic stages. Therefore, new therapies are needed as adjuvants in the rehabilitation phase for promoting the recovery and monitoring adverse effects of treatment. CASE REPORT We describe a patient with an acute occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery who was treated with recombinant tissue-plasminogen activator (rtPA), underwent mechanical thrombectomy, and was then enrolled in a 1-month rehabilitation program. After the post-stroke recovery plateau, the patient received 10 days of 30 mL intravenous Cerebrolysin® to support further neuro-recovery, together with long-term rehabilitation. We utilized clinical standard assessment tools, including National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), modified Rankin scale (mRS), modified Barthel Index (MBI), and function of ambulation, to evaluate the outcome of the patient, together with the adverse events monitoring. After Cerebrolysin® administration, the patient demonstrated improvement in all assessment scores at 1, 3, and 6 months. CONCLUSIONS Postoperative treatment with Cerebrolysin® in our patient with subacute ischemic stroke, after plateau recovery in the rehabilitation phase, together with the standard acute stroke regimen, improved the patient's recovery outcomes. No serious adverse effects were observed.