How is a stroke treated?

There are basically two types of strokes. The most common stroke involves blockage of an artery and a clot. The initial treatment of that type of stroke involves getting rid of the clot. And that can be done in two ways. One way to do that is to administer a drug that dissolves the blood clot. That drug needs to be given within 3 to 4 hours after the onset of symptoms. And that drug is called tPA. It's often referred to as a clot busting drug. The other way that the clot can be dealt with is to physically remove it. And that is done through a procedure that's very much like a heart cath - where a catheter is inserted into the main artery of the leg and then advanced through the arterial system up to the point where the clot in the brain artery is. And there are a number of different devices that are used to retrieve that clot and actually pull it out.