Telestroke increases use of acute stroke therapy

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review provides a comprehensive overview of the management of acute stroke within the framework of telestroke services. RECENT FINDINGS: The remote neurological examination using high quality videoconferencing coupled with remote review of neuroimaging has gained acceptance and proved its reliability in various publications. Telestroke networks confirmed the safety and efficiency of telethrombolysis, with an increase in the rate of thrombolysis in recent years. The analysis of a telestroke network in Europe showed improved outcomes in a cohort of ischemic stroke patients. SUMMARY: At the beginning of the millennium, telestroke networks started to develop. Ten years later, there is a collection of about 40 various networks in North America and Europe performing teleconsultations on a regular basis. Telestroke is not a new therapeutic modality, but rather a set of tools to enable more efficient delivery of acute stroke care and to improve the quality of stroke care in neurologically underserved areas. Depending on the level of available regional resources, telestroke networks can support affiliated hospitals by implementing measures that improve the quality of stroke management such as regional campaigns, stroke units and stroke teams, medical education and programs encouraging the usage of guidelines.