Ischaemic Stroke — Thrombolysis and Mechanical Thrombectomy

Ischaemic stroke results from occlusion of a brain artery and interruption of blood flow. Early diagnosis and emergency treatment can help reduce the extent of brain damage; the time of symptom onset determines the treatment window. Before treatment, intracerebral haemorrhage is excluded with emergency CT or MRI. In mechanical thrombectomy, a catheter is advanced to the occluded artery and the clot is removed with a stent retriever or by aspiration. A patient with suspected stroke is referred for emergency neurological and vascular assessment.

• Emergency stroke protocol
• Thrombolysis within a suitable time window
• Mechanical thrombectomy in selected cases of large-vessel occlusion
• Secondary prevention and rehabilitation