The endovascular management of ischemic stroke

Endovascular techniques are showing promise as both alternative as well as primary therapies for ischemic strokes. These procedures are continuously evolving as the patient population and clinical expectations increase while materials and imaging technology advances to match those demands. Many of these techniques have yet to demonstrate the rigorous proof of benefit gained only through a randomized controlled trial, in part due to the emergent nature and devastating natural history of some ischemic strokes. Multidisciplinary neurovascular centers are spearheading the rapid accumulation of both data and experience, which will one day hopefully validate the application of some if not all of these techniques. This review is aimed at summarizing the major categories of available techniques, the existing evidence leading to and supporting their employment, and the ongoing data collection intended to eventually establish them as standards in clinical practice.