Neurosurgery and neurointerventions for ischemic stroke.

Neurosurgical and endovascular procedures play a leading role for managing acute stroke and for improving cerebral revascularization. Furthermore, there is a large variety of procedures, and their effectiveness have been studied extensively. Understanding their role and place for stroke prevention and treatment is the purpose of this special issue dedicated to neurosurgery and neurointerventions for ischemic stroke. Ischemic stroke can have an embolic or a hemodynamic pattern distribution. Differences in localization and size of the ischemic core explain the heterogeneous clinical presentation ranging from devastating strokes to focal neurological deficits, to transient ischemic attacks (TIA s). Major efforts to improve prevention and treatment of ischemic stroke continue to be deployed, as it remains a devastating disease with major impact on quality of life, as well as an enormous socioeconomic burden.1 Medical therapies continue to play an important role in the acute phase of stroke (intravenous lysis) and represent the cornerstone in reduction of vascular risk factors to prevent stroke occurrence and recurrence (platelet aggregation inhibitors, antihypertensive and lipid-lowering medication).