Neurology and Therapeutics

Biography

Biography: Roberto Federico Villa

Abstract

Acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Its incidence and prevalence increase considerably with age and numbers of patients will grow in the future. AIS is caused by the abrupt occlusion of an intracranial vessel resulting in reduced blood flow to the brain region supplied. The ischemic core (which is irreversibly lesioned) is surrounded by the penumbra region with less severe flow reduction, lower functional impairment and potential recovery; so, the fundamental treatment of AIS relies on prompt recanalisation and reperfusion of the threatened ischemic penumbra, that however is potentially salvageable. With this aim, intravenous thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) remains the current strategy. However, thrombolysis is underused, owing to various exclusion criteria that limit the number of treated patients. Other thrombolytics are under investigation. Endovascular therapy with mechanical recanalisation devices is increasingly applied; moreover, hypertension and hyperglycemia are acute complications to be treated in AIS. Our study analyzes the current status, the problems, the perspectives of the pharmacological therapy for AIS.