Medical treatment for stroke:

Specific treatment for stroke will be determined by your physician based on:

• your age, overall health, and medical history
• severity of the stroke
• location of the stroke
• cause of the stroke
• your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies
• type of stroke
• your opinion or preference

Although there is no cure for stroke, advanced medical and surgical treatments are now available, giving many stroke victims hope for optimal recovery.

Emergency treatments for stroke:

Treatment is most effective when started immediately. Emergency treatment following a stroke may include the following:

• medications used to the dissolve blood clot(s) that cause an ischemic stroke
  Medications that dissolve clots are called thrombolytic agents and are commonly known as "clot busters." One type of agent used is tissue plasminogen activator, or t-PA. These drugs have the ability to help reduce the damage to brain cells caused by the stroke. In order to be most effective, these agents must be given within several hours of a stroke's onset.
  
  
• medications and therapy to reduce or control brain swelling
  Hypertonic solutions and special types of intravenous (IV) fluids are often used to help reduce or control brain swelling, especially after a hemorrhagic stroke (a stroke caused by bleeding into the brain).
  

• medications that help protect the brain from damage and ischemia (lack of oxygen)
  Medications of this type are called neuroprotective agents, with some still under investigation in clinical trials.
  
  
• Endovascular interventions by utilizing very small wires and retrieval devices
  Technology allows to extract or disintegrate blood clots that are obstructing cerebral blood flow.
  
  
• life support measures including such treatments as ventilators (machines to assist with breathing), IV fluids, fever control, adequate nutrition, blood pressure control, and prevention of complications

Other treatments used to treat or prevent a stroke:

Other medications that may help with recovery following a stroke, or may help to prevent a stroke from occurring, include the following:

• medications to help prevent more blood clots from forming
  Medications that help to prevent additional blood clots from forming are called anticoagulants, as they prevent the coagulation of the blood. Medications of this type include, for example, heparin and warfarin. Other medications include Aspirin, Clopidrogel and Dipyridamole which help prevent strokes by inhibiting platelet function
  
  
• surgical procedures
  Carotid endarterectomy is an intervention performed in order to clean the caroitd artery vessel wall from blockage caused by atherosclerotic plaque.
  
  
• endovascular interventions
  Angioplasty and stenting of the cerebral vessles is an intervention performed by inflating ballons and deploying stents (metalic mesh) in order to relieve obstruction of cerebral blood flow.