The Thrombolysis reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Thrombolysis

Synonym (colloquial): "Clot busting". Treating disease caused by thrombosis through administration of drugs that assist in the breakdown (lysis) of the thrombus (rather than drugs that inhibit further growth of the clot, such as heparin, warfarin, coumadin and the like).

The principle of thrombolysis is the activation of plasminogen, a serum enzyme that clears cross-linked fibrin mesh (the backbone of a clot). Activation can happen with the drugs streptokinase, urokinase and rtPA/recombinant tissue plasminogen activator.

Diseases where thrombolysis is used:

• Myocardial infarction
• Cerebrovascular accident
• Massive pulmonary embolism

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