Abstract
The author presents an overview of the recent advances in antithrombotic therapy for acute ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA). First, the Japanese Government approved the 4.5 hour time-window of intravenous recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) therapy in August 2012, and the Japan Stroke Society published the 2nd version of the guidelines of rt-PA therapy in October 2012. Second, a randomized controlled trial, CHANCE, performed in China recently demonstrated the efficacy and safety of dual antiplatelets therapy (DAPT) in acute minor stroke or TIA. Many novel anticoagulants, a direct thrombin inhibitor and Xa inhibitors, became available in clinical use for patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. However, the efficacy and safety of NOACs remains unresolved in acute ischemic stroke. A new era has begun in antithrombotic therapy for patients with acute ischemic stroke and TIA, and we will achieve dazzling achievements in near future.
