Making Sense of Recent Acute Stroke Trial Results

Abstract

The acute stroke treatment landscape is rapidly evolving. A number of recent stroke trial results have provided promising insights into new treatment strategies, while other trials have yielded neutral or negative results. This article is a review of recent acute trials in both ischemic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage, with a focus on trial design, analysis of methodology, relevance of the results to the clinic and lessons learned for future stroke trials. In particular, we will highlight current controversies in the field pertaining to the optimal selection of stroke trial endpoints, the use of advanced imaging to select treatment candidates and the burgeoning field of endovascular inte..