Acute Ischemic Stroke Treatments (CPB 0789, reviewed 2025-11-19)
Endovascular therapy with a retrievable stent is medically necessary for acute ischemic stroke with occlusion of the middle cerebral artery trunk or its branches, or the internal carotid artery, when salvageable tissue is shown on imaging and retrieval is performed within 12 hours after stroke onset. Intra-arterial infusion of spasmolytics such as papaverine, or calcium-channel blockers such as nicardipine, into intracranial arteries is medically necessary only for medically refractory symptomatic delayed cerebral ischemia (cerebral vasospasm) after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, and is experimental, investigational, or unproven for all other indications. Acute stenting with concomitant tirofiban, cerebrolysin, defibrinogen therapy, erythropoietin, hypothermia, transcranial ultrasound such as the CLOTBUST-HF device, sphenopalatine ganglion stimulation, statins, and vagus nerve stimulation for myocardial atrophy after AIS are experimental, investigational, or unproven, along with several other listed therapies.