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Update on antiplatelet agents, including MATCH, CHARISMA, and ESPRIT

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Abstract

Despite recent advances in the acute treatment of stroke, prevention and risk factor modification remain the mainstays of management for patients with ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack. The majority of noncardioembolic ischemic strokes are atherothrombotic, presumed to be associated with the activation and aggregation of platelets. Antiplatelet medications have been shown to be effective in the secondary prevention of stroke of presumed arterial origin, both as monotherapy and in combination. Among combination of antiplatelet agents, aspirin plus extended-release dipyridamole has demonstrated statistically significant additive benefit over monotherapy with each agent. Clopidogrel plus aspirin does not prevent recurrent ischemic stroke over each component individually, and the combination increases the risk of hemorrhagic side effects. This article reviews the most recent studies on antiplatelet medications, including the combination of aspirin and clopidogrel or extended-release dipyridamole, and discusses some of the controversies that still exist with the use of antiplatelet agents.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, New York — Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, 525 East 68th Street, Suite F-610, New York, NY, 10021, USA

    Dara G. Jamieson

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  1. Maryna Skliut
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  2. Dara G. Jamieson
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Correspondence to Dara G. Jamieson.

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Skliut, M., Jamieson, D.G. Update on antiplatelet agents, including MATCH, CHARISMA, and ESPRIT. Curr Cardiol Rep 10, 9–16 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11886-008-0004-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11886-008-0004-6

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