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(Stroke. 2007;38:3084.)
© 2007 American Heart Association, Inc.

Topical Review

Antiedema Therapy in Ischemic Stroke

From Department of Neurology, University of Erlangen, Germany.

Correspondence to Juergen Bardutzky, Department of Neurology, University of Erlangen, Schwabachanlage 6, Germany 91054. E-mail juergen.bardutzky{at}uk-erlangen.de

Marc Fisher MD Section Editor:

Abstract

Life-threatening, space-occupying brain edema occurs in up to 10% of patients with supratentorial infarcts and is traditionally associated with a high mortality rate of up to 80%. Management of these patients is currently being changed to an earlier and more aggressive treatment regimen. Early surgical decompression has recently been proven effective to reduce mortality and increase the number of patients with a favorable outcome in randomized controlled trials and is now the "antiedema" therapy of first choice for patients with large middle cerebral artery infarction aged 60 years or younger. Several medical treatment strategies have been proposed to control brain edema and reduce intracranial pressure, including different osmotherapeutics, hyperventilation, tromethamine, hypothermia, and barbiturate coma. None of these treatments is supported by level 1 evidence of efficacy in clinical trials, and some of them may even be detrimental. Preliminary results on hypothermia for space-occupying hemispheric infarction are encouraging, but far from definitive.

Key Words: conventional antiedema therapy • edema, brain • hemicraniectomy • hypothermia • ischemia

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