[New agents and challenges in the antithrombotic management of arterial diseases].

The past decades have exposed and faced antithrombotic therapy (anticoagulants, antiplatelet agents, and fibrinolytics) to new challenges. The reperfusion treatment modalities of myocardial infarction needed improvement of fibrinolytic agents and adjuvant anticoagulant-antiplatelet therapy. The secondary prevention of stroke, along with the renewal of thrombolytic and anticoagulant therapy seems to be an other major area of new approach to antithrombotic therapy. The reocclusion and restenosis of coronary arteries means the most difficult issue and task for antithrombotic treatment modalities. These requirements accelerated the development of novel antithrombotic agents, the disintegrin family, the monoclonals directed against platelet adhesion and aggregation, the application of hirudin and its analogs and new generation of thrombolytic agents. Combined and sequential administration of different antithrombotic agents receives growing attention and seems also to be promising.