"As one of the partners of the INI Carotid Clinic, our Stroke Center is the first primary stroke center in Illinois certified by the Joint Commission.  the physicians, nurse practitioners, nursing staff and research personnel have rich experience in managing strokes.  As the hub of the largest rural stroke network, the center treats over 700 stroke patients each year.  It is one of the nation's premier stroke centers in using thrombolytics, promoting stroke care practice improvement processes, date collection and conducting stroke research.  Working with the Vascular Neurosurgeons and Interventional Neuroradiologists, the center has pioneered many innovative therapeutic options such as thrombolysis with concomitant angioplasty / stents of acutely occluded carotid arteries, utilization of intra-arterial GPIIbllla agent.  With the established INI Carotid Clinic, the staff of the INI Stroke Center and OSF Stroke Network believe that a new standard of care for patients with carotid disease will be established."