Future of stroke treatment

Abstract

The greatest impact on the delivery of stroke treatment has been the movement to implement stroke centers and the expansion of acute stroke care through telemedicine. Access to vascular neurologists is likely to increase the rate of thrombolytic treatment for ischemic stroke and lessen the rising economic burden of this disease. The advancements in stroke research of today portend the future of stroke treatment. We anticipate implementation of effective neuroprotective agents, improvements in diagnostic neuroimaging and endovascular techniques, identification of the genomics of stroke-prone individuals and genetic engineering to reduce predetermined risk. We expect advancements in neurorehabilitation that will reduce dependency.