Microbubbles for thrombolysis of acute ischemic stroke.

Improved treatment of acute ischemic stroke with ultrasound and microbubbles in combination with thrombolytic drugs shows great promise, but the optimal techniques, indications, and contraindications have not yet been well defined. Moreover, details such as microbubble dosage, delivery, required thrombolytic drug dosage, and optimal ultrasound characteristics all remain uncertain. Recent results suggest that ultrasound and microbubbles may be effective in clot lysis of ischemic stroke without additional thrombolytic drugs. Moreover, targeting thrombus with specific immunobubbles may improve the efficacy of sonothrombolysis. Safety remains a major concern in the further development of ultrasound-enhanced thrombolysis and extensive animal work is required to define the most promising methods to translate into human application. Copyright 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.