[Is drug therapy possible in the acute stage of a cerebral infarct?].

To assess the possibilities of treatment of acute cerebral infarction the results of clinical trials, performed during the past 30 years, are reviewed. Only a few studies fulfil basic requirements for a clinical trial, such as sufficient sample size. A therapeutic effect could not be proven in any of these studies. On the other hand, because of the small number of patients, therapeutic inactivity equally could not be established. In conclusion, present knowledge does not justify any treatment for acute cerebral infarction. In the near future well organized clinical trials will have to provide more definite results.