Læknablaðið - 01.01.2018, Page 26

ENGLISH SUMMARY
This article discusses endovascular thrombectomy in acute ischemic
stroke. This treatment is vascular medicine’s most significant leap in
years. This treatment is complicated, and various technical aspects are
discussed. Close cooperation is required between different specialties
since patient selection for treatment is complex. Interventionists need
close collaboration with stroke neurologists. Government needs to
be involved as this treatment mandates structural changes which will
incur more manpower and financial resources. Telemedicine is also
discussed as it has been shown to be advantageous for augmenting
thrombolytic administration for acute ischemic stroke. Due to technical
advances, it has been easier to provide such service, but hurdles need
to be resolved so it can be fully implemented. It is likely that telemedi-
cine will also play a role in thrombectomy. This article proposes how
thrombectomy could be delivered in Iceland. It will prove difficult to
provide such complex treatment in a scattered population of 343.000
people where expertise is limited to one or two sites. It is important to
remember, that coronary intervention was a formidable challenge at one
time, but it was accomplished. Can we learn from that experience?
Role of Thrombectomy in Acute Ischemic Stroke
Albert Páll Sigurðsson
University Hospital of Iceland, Reykjavík.
Key words: Thrombectomy, acute ischemic stroke, telemedicine, thrombolytic therapy.
Correspondence: Albert Páll Sigurðsson, alberts@landspitali.is
26 LÆKNAblaðið 2018/104
Y F I R L I T S G R E I N