Thrombolytic therapy in the eighties

Abstract

A FIBRIN thrombus impedes blood flow in an artery or a vein, subsequent events partly depend on the fate of the thrombus, which may fragment and embolize, undergo organization, or lyse. There is deceivingly sketchy information on the first two processes. However, knowledge of the intricate system of physiological fibrinolysis is rapidly growing and, as a result, a new generation of thrombolytic drugs is being developed.