Possibilities and prospects of hypothermia in the treatment of ischemic stroke

Today the Russian Federation has one of the worst indicators in the world in terms of morbidity and mortality from stroke. Currently, two methods are used to treat ischemic stroke: thrombolysis and thrombextraction. However, despite their effectiveness, the methods have limited use due to the presence of strict indications and contraindications. In this regard, the search for new methods of treating ischemic stroke, which can be effective both with independent use and as an addition to already existing methods, is an urgent task. The purpose of this paper is to review research studies on the use of hypothermia in ischemic stroke. Hypothermia has a proven neuroprotective effect in cerebral ischemia. In this context, interest is the method of intracarotid selective cerebral hypothermia, which, according to a number of preclinical studies, significantly reduces the volume of cerebral infarction after ischemic stroke. The advantage of this method is the rapid achievement of the target temperature, a targeted effect on the brain and a minimal effect on the system temperature. Thus, intracarotid selective cerebral hypothermia is a very promising method for the treatment of ischemic stroke and deserves further study. In this regard, the authors decided to conduct a preclinical study on this subject.