Measurement of the intracranial arterial wedge pressure in cases of acute cerebral arterial occlusion to determine the indication of intraarterial thrombolytic therapy.

SUMMARY: Wedge pressure of the occluded major cerebral artery (distal pressure beyond the occlusion) was measured to estimate the residual cerebral blood flow in thirteen patients with acute ischemic stroke. There existed the relationship that patients with higher wedge pressure tolerated longer ischemic insults than those with lower wedge pressure. Wedge pressure is measured with minimum time loss before starting thrombolytic therapy and may be a good indicator to estimate the brain tissue reversibility.