Arterial Arterial Thrombolytic Therapy Thrombolytic therapy is the name given to a group of medications that dissolve blood clots. One if the most frequent causes is narrowing in the blood vessel. Narrowings occur when fatty cholesterol deposits in the walls of the artery. When blood does not flow smoothly through the narrowed blood vessel, blood clots develop.
Clots limit the flow of blood and can cause pain or coldness in an arm or leg.
Receiving a clot dissolving medication will, hopefully, destroy the clot, bring back flow and reduce or eliminate your symptoms. The medication is given through a small plastic tube that is inserted in your arm or leg. In order to determine if you have a blood clot and where it is located, the blood vessels must first be photographed. With the use of X-Ray dye, the vessels can be studied to pinpoint the clot. An Interventional Radiologist will perform the procedure in the Radiology Department.