- Young Dae Kim
- Department of Neurology, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
Thrombolytic treatment with intravenous (IV) tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) is a proven therapy
in acute ischemic stroke patients. Successful recanalization is a strong determinant for favorable
outcome in patients who received thrombolytic treatments. In the last few decades, thrombolysis
with ultrasound has been tested whether this modality can improve the successful recanalization
rate or clinical outcomes. Three different ultrasound technologies including transcranial Doppler,
transcranial color-coded sonography, and low-frequency ultrasound were used to increase the
thrombolytic efficacy of IV t-PA. Because microbubbles can lower the amount of ultrasound energy
needed for acoustic cavitation, concomitant use of microbubbles with ultrasound has been also tested
for the presence of additional benefits in sonothrombolysis. This article reviews the present status
of sonothromboolysis in acute ischemic stroke and discusses its future.
Journal of Neurosonology 4(1):1-7, 2012
Key Words: Stroke, Sonothrombolysis