Stroke is a major public health problem in the United States and the development of novel therapeutic strategies is an important research priority. Advances in this field are proceeding on several fronts, including the use of next-generation plasminogen activators and glycoprotein IIb/ IIIa inhibitors, refined patient selection with advanced magnetic resonance imaging sequences, endovascular approaches to thrombolysis and thrombectomy, and adjuvant use of ultrasound. There remains no proven therapy for intracerebral hemorrhage, but early results with recombinant activated factor VII look very promising. It is hoped that in the near future, physicians managing patients with acute neurological events will have a robust armamentarium of therapies to bring to bear on both ischemic and hemorrhagic vascular disease.