Aspects of Stroke Prevention (Sanofi Pharma Symposium to the International Conference on Stroke)

Over the past few years, medical therapy for the prevention of stroke has been the subject of a large number of important international clinical trials. This publication reviews the results and summarizes the implications of several multi-centre trials. A review of the risks of cerebral infarction, myocardial infarction and vascular death in patients with asymptomatic carotid disease, transient ischemic attack and stroke is followed by a look at the value of various antiplatelet agents in the prevention of ischemic stroke. Other discussions include the role of anticoagulation in the primary prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation, the measurement of outcome in stroke prevention trials, and the issues surrounding meta-analysis in therapy assessment. A final discussion on the benefits and risks of therapy rounds off this overview.