[Contribution of neurologists to emergent stroke medicine in Japan].

Although the demand for emergent stroke management has been increasing, stroke specialists are undersupplied in Japan. Neurosurgeons, not neurologists, often perform acute stroke care. Since medical management is the mainstream of stroke care, neurologists should be fully aware of their role as a commander of the stroke care unit. Neurologists have to confront wide-ranging areas of neurological diseases including neurological emergency and intractable chronic diseases, and such diversity should be respected. Nevertheless, neurological departments in the medical schools and hospitals over Japan should constantly train a certain number of stroke specialists to meet the demands of patients, since stroke is the largest neurological disease in Japan.