Thrombolysis for stroke?

What do you think of thromobolysis for a stroke, it seems many physicians are dicided on the topic, given if the stroke can be addressed within 3hrs of onset, it seems to me like the benefit outweighs the risk of side effects....
So what do you think? Do you know any difinitive data that points torwards on recommendation. It seems strange that major hospitals treat these cases so differently....

The best treatment for ischemic stroke is thrombolysis. However the patient needs to meet certain criteria. They need to have no pre-existing condition that leads to bleeding and they need to have the drug given within 3 hrs. This can limit the amount of patients eligible for this treatment. Many hospitals now have stroke teams whose job it is to evaluate patients immediately when a stroke is suspected or diagnosed to determine if they would benefit from thrombolysis.
Here is more info and research data:
http://www.emedicine.com/neuro/topic370....

The problem of thrombolysis in stroke is slightly complex. To be effective, it has to be given within three hours. Stroke has to be confirmed by CT scan and bleeding excluded. If the stroke is massive, there is a risk of bleeding into the infarct with thrombolysis.
Another problem is that within 3 hours, it is difficult to differentiate a small stroke from a transient ischemic attack (TIA).
All said and done, if the stroke is not too massive, thrombolysis is still useful if given within 3 hours. More public education is need for this to effective. Most often people seek medical advice quickly in a heart attack, but not in "brain attack", at least in minor strokes.