Document covering atherosclerotic disease of extracranial carotid and vertebral, mesenteric, renal, upper and lower extremity arteries Endorsed by: the European Stroke Organization (ESO) The Task Force for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Peripheral Arterial Diseases of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and of the European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS)

No abstract

This ESC Council on Stroke/EAPCI/EBNI position paper summarizes recommendations for training of cardiologists in endovascular treatment of acute ischaemic stroke. Interventional cardiologists adequately trained to perform endovascular stroke interventions could complement stroke teams to provide the 24/7 on call duty and thus to increase timely access of stroke patients to endovascular treatment. The training requirements for interventional cardiologists to perform endovascular therapy are described in details and should be based on two main principles: (i) patient safety cannot be compromised, (ii) proper training of interventional cardiologists should be under supervision of and guaranteed by a qualified neurointerventionist and within the setting of a stroke team. Interdisciplinary cooperation based on common standards and professional consensus is the key to the quality improvement in stroke treatment.

No abstract

During the last 5–7 years, tremendous progress was achieved in the reperfusion treatment of acute ischaemic stroke during its first few hours from symptom onset. This review summarizes the latest evidence from randomized clinical trials and prospective registries with a focus on endovascular treatment using stent retrievers, aspiration catheters, thrombolytics, and (in selected patients) carotid stenting. Novel approaches in prehospital (mobile interventional stroke teams) and early hospital (direct transfer to angiography) management are described, and future perspectives (‘all-in-one’ laboratories with angiography and computed tomography integrated) are discussed. There is reasonable chance for patients with moderate-to-severe acute ischaemic stroke to survive without permanent sequelae when the large-vessel occlusion is removed by means of modern pharmaco-mechanic approach. Catheter thrombectomy is now the golden standard of acute stroke treatment. The role of cardiologists in stroke is expanding from diagnostic help (to reveal the cause of stroke) to acute therapy in those regions where such up-to-date Class I. A treatment is not yet available.