Thrombolytic Therapy: Current Status

ALTHOUGH many details of the process of thrombogenesis are unclear, it is generally thought that it involves both platelet activity (adhesion and aggregation) and fibrin formation.^1,2 Both processes appear to be active in arterial and venous thrombogenesis, although their relative importance is not certain. In any event, physiologic fibrinolysis is theoretically important in the resolution of both arterial and venous thrombi, and agents which enhance this process may function as thrombolytic agents. Experimental studies dealing with this hypothesis have been extensive and are generally reviewed elsewhere.^3,4 More recently, a number of clinical trials have been conducted to evaluate thrombolytic therapy.