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Page 4 of 5 Hsu. Vessel Plus 2022;6:18 https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2574-1209.2021.117

Together, in this special issue of Vessel Plus on stroke, 10 world-class stroke leaders each has contributed an
article based on their respective expertise in stroke research and clinical care of stroke patients to develop a
special issue on stroke with up-to-date pioneering perspectives and world-renowned research achievements.
Overall, an update of stroke research and therapy covering a broad scope of important topics are presented
in this special issue of Vessel Plus reporting the topnotch and up-to-date perspectives and recent research
accomplishments for treating a serious disease, with mortality ranked second by WHO and with surviving
stroke patients carrying long-term disability which demands pioneering research by world-class stroke
investigators to facilitate the development of safer and more effective therapeutic and restorative measures
for relieving the long-term sufferings caused by disability after stroke.

Thrombectomy, an angiographic approach to remove blood clots from vessels that disrupt blood supply to
the brain resulting in ischemic stroke, has been established for its safety and efficacy in a number of
multinational trials. This is the first mechanical approach beyond surgical interventions to treat ischemic
stroke. There were a series of publications in 2015 to report the safety and efficacy of thrombectomy for
treating patient with ischemic stroke caused by occlusion of large vessels (i.e., carotid artery, vertebral
artery, or proximal branches of the middle cerebral artery) [7-10] . Among the 10 authors for this special issue
of Vessel Plus, both Prof. Bruce Campbell and Prof. Bernad Yan are leading experts on this invasive
intervention for stroke. The Australian stroke team has also been conducting a multinational stroke trial
(DIRECT-SAVE) exploring whether adding t-PA to thrombectomy can improve stroke outcome.

In conclusion, I am deeply honored to accept the call to invite 10 world-leading authoritative experts with
each contributing an article to assemble a special issue on stroke for Vessel Plus, a new and rapidly uprising
journal on vascular diseases.

DECLARATIONS
Authors’ contribution
The author contributed solely to this article.

Availability of data and materials
Not applicable.

Financial support and sponsorship
None.

Conflicts of interest
The author declared that there are no conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval and consent to participate
Not applicable.

Consent for publication
Not applicable.

Copyright
© The Author(s) 2022.