[Therapeutic Strategies for Ischemic Stroke].

Ischemic stroke therapy consists of acute phase and preventive treatment strategies. Acute-phase ischemic stroke treatment includes systemic thrombolysis (rt-PA) and mechanical thrombectomy (endovascular therapy). Rt-PA is a very potent thrombolytic agent but its effectiveness is time-dependent. For the prevention of stroke recurrence (secondary stroke prevention) according to the TOAST classification, antiplatelet therapy (aspirin, clopidogrel, and cilostazol) is used for atherothrombotic and lacuna strokes, while anti-coagulant therapy (warfarin and direct oral anticoagulants [DOACs]) are used for cardiogenic cerebral embolism. Additionally, neuroprotective therapy using edaravone, a free radical scavenger, has recently been introduced to minimize brain tissue damage. Recently, neuronal regenerative therapies using stem cells have also been developed.