Clinical applicability and the perfusion-diffusion mismatch theory: Not yet a perfect match

Stroke is the second or third leading cause of death worldwide and a major cause of disability. Immediate treatments to reverse ischemic damage may markedly improve outcomes. Currently, alteplase is the only licensed treatment for acute ischemic stroke, with a time window of 3 hours from the onset of symptoms: based on the promising results from the European Cooperative Acute Stroke Study III (ECASS III),1 the treatment window may be extended to...