Introduction: Antiplatelet therapy is key to prevent recurrences in patients with an acute or prior non-cardioembolic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). The narrow balance between the risks of ischemic recurrence and major bleeding is a relevant clinical dilemma in this population.
Areas covered: This review covers the current evidence on antiplatelet therapy for patients with non-cardioembolic stroke or TIA. Randomized controlled trials of antithrombotic strategies for patients with these conditions were searched in Pubmed/Medline from 1970 to 2022.
Expert opinion: Numerous randomized controlled trials have defined the current indications to the use of antiplatelet drugs for patients with non-cardioembolic ischemic stroke or TIA. For the management of these subjects, single antiplatelet therapy with aspirin or clopidogrel, or the combination of aspirin and dipyridamole, is usually recommended. After an acute stroke or TIA, a short course of dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin in combination with clopidogrel or ticagrelor should be considered. The risk of bleeding might be higher with ticagrelor, but a direct comparison with clopidogrel is not available in this setting. The introduction of newer strategies, such as dual-pathway inhibition with aspirin and a direct oral anticoagulant (including emerging factor XI inhibitors under clinical development) may open a new research avenue in this challenging area.
Keywords: Antithrombotic therapy; cerebrovascular events; prevention; stroke; transient ischemic attack.