Role of vasopressin and its antagonism in stroke related edema.

Although many approaches have been tried in the attempt to reduce the devastating impact of stroke, tissue plasminogen activator for thromboembolic stroke is the only proved, effective acute stroke treatment to date. Vasopressin, an acute-phase reactant, is released after brain injury and is partially responsible for the subsequent inflammatory response via activation of divergent pathways. Recently there has been increasing interest in vasopressin because it is implicated in inflammation, cerebral edema, increased intracerebral pressure, and cerebral ion and neurotransmitter dysfunctions after cerebral ischemia.