“Time is brain” – What is the relevant time window for effective thrombolysis?

In the event of an ischemic stroke, the blood supply to the affected area of the brain must be restored as quickly as possible to prevent permanent damage. Ideally, intravenous thrombolysis is given within a few hours of the stroke. As recent study data show, it is worthwhile to select patients by perfusion-diffusion MRI or CT, even if the therapy time window of 4.5 hours has already passed.