Highlighting the importance of collateral circulation in ischemic stroke / 解放军医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Collateral circulation is one of the topics most frequently discussed over recent years. It is, as commonly graded into 3 levels, compensatory circulation in the body and affected by pre-existing anatomy, hemodynamic at the moment, and humoral factors. A good collateral supply may effectively alleviate the neurofunctional deficits after stroke and improve the outcome. Therefore, an establishment of collateral circulation plays a pertinent role in alleviating disability after an acute ischemic stroke. The status of collateral circulation after a stroke may have several prognostic implications, therefore an appropriate grading and evaluation may help to assess the clinical outcomes after acute ischemic stroke, and in directing individualization of treatment regimen. With development of neuroimaging modalities, the accuracy in evaluation of the status of collateral circulation has been significantly improved, thus facilitating improvement in the treatment of stroke. In this regard, to improve collateral circulation is an indispensible therapeutic strategy in the treatment of stroke.