Treatment
If the patient has had an ischemic stroke, meets certain conditions, and the time frame since the stroke has been less than 3 hours, the patient may be a candidate for thrombolytic therapy. New research supports use of rtPA in the 3- to 4.5-hour window, but the relative efficacy of this measure outside the 3-hour window compared with other interventions has not been established. (Rothwell 2009)
Some patients with ischemic stroke who are outside the 3-hour time limit for thrombolytics may be candidates for clot removal with a mechanical embolus remover such as the Merci Retriever or stent-like devices such as the Trevo Retriever or Solitaire device