Stroke--a medical emergency.

Acute ischaemic stroke as an urgent-to-treat condition has gained a more prominent role in the consciousness of emergency physicians and neurologists over the past decade. This is mainly due to an increasing insight into the pathophysiological mechanism of ischaemia, the definition of therapeutical goals, such as reperfusion or neuroprotection, and the recent application of respective treatment strategies in large multicentre studies. This review article will focus on the emergency assessment of stroke patients, on general treatment strategies, and particularly on specific measures of intensive care therapy of stroke including thrombolysis, decompressive surgery, hypothermia and treatment of brain oedema.