Ticagrelor Versus Cilostazol in Ischemic Stroke

Inclusion Criteria: * the investigators included both genders with eligible ages ranging between 18-75 years, with the first-ever presentation with moderate or moderate-to-severe ischemic stroke who received antiplatelet treatment within the first 24 hours of the onset of ischemic stroke. Patients with previous transient ischemic attacks (TIA) were not excluded from the study. Patients are not eligible for rt-PA treatment Exclusion Criteria: * The investigators excluded patients who had not been followed up on for 90 days after enrollment, those with NIHSS ≤ 4 or ≥ 25 or who had rapidly resolving symptoms before imaging results, and patients with a known history of persistent or recurrent CNS pathology (e.g., epilepsy, meningioma, multiple sclerosis, history of head trauma with a residual neurological deficit). The investigators excluded patients who had clinical seizures at the onset of their stroke, as well as those who had symptoms of any major organ failure, active malignancies, or an acute myocardial infarction within the previous six weeks, and those who were on warfarin, regular ticagrelor during the week before admission, or chemotherapy within the previous year. The investigators excluded patients with active peptic ulcers, GIT surgery, bleeding history within the last year, and those with a history of major surgery within the last three months. The investigators ruled out of our trial patients who had a known allergy to the study drugs and those with INR \> 1.4 or P.T. \>18 or blood glucose level \< 50 or \> 400 mg/DL or blood pressure \< 90/60 or \> 185/110 mmHg on admission or Platelets \< 100,000. The investigators excluded pregnant and lactating patients and those with stroke due to venous thrombosis and stroke following cardiac arrest or profuse hypotension ineligible for our trial. Patients with contraindications to the study drugs were excluded.