Potential role of abciximab in ischemic cerebrovascular disease.

Abciximab is an intravenously administered antiplatelet agent that could be used alone or in conjunction with thrombolytic therapy to treat patients with acute ischemic stroke. However, experience with medication for treatment of patients with stroke is limited. Symptomatic intracranial bleeding is the most common serious complication of therapies that aim at restoring or improving blood flow to the brain after stroke and it is the most likely potential serious complication of the use of abciximab in this setting. Preliminary data suggest that abciximab is not associated with a prohibitively high rate of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. Further research is needed to determine the safety and potential efficacy of abciximab for treatment of ischemic stroke.