Current opinion in neurology
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This review provides a comprehensive overview of the management of acute stroke within the framework of telestroke services. ⋯ At the beginning of the millennium, telestroke networks started to develop. Ten years later, there is a collection of about 40 various networks in North America and Europe performing teleconsultations on a regular basis. Telestroke is not a new therapeutic modality, but rather a set of tools to enable more efficient delivery of acute stroke care and to improve the quality of stroke care in neurologically underserved areas. Depending on the level of available regional resources, telestroke networks can support affiliated hospitals by implementing measures that improve the quality of stroke management such as regional campaigns, stroke units and stroke teams, medical education and programs encouraging the usage of guidelines.