Intraarterially administered abciximab as an adjuvant thrombolytic therapy: report of three cases.

The intravenous administration of abciximab can be used as an adjuvant therapy to facilitate thrombolysis for acute cerebrovascular occlusion. However, to our knowledge, the intraaterial administration of abciximab has not been reported. We recently treated three patients with acute thrombosis of the cerebral arteries by using an intraarterial infusion of urokinase and abciximab. Even with small doses, we achieved rapid and complete recanalization without complications. We believe that the intraarterial infusion of abciximab may be promising for effective and safe recanalization of acute thrombotic occlusion of cerebral arteries.