Diagnostic neuroimaging in stroke. The complementary roles of referring physician and neuroradiologist.
The number and sophistication of neuroimaging methods for identifying location, size, type, and causes of stroke or stroke-like syndromes have expanded rapidly. In acute stroke, computed tomography is used to distinguish between nonhemorrhagic and hemorrhagic infarction and to eliminate several potential alternative diagnoses. Cerebral angiography can identify surgically treatable lesions in patients experiencing transient ischemic attacks and thus aid in preventing stroke. The superb sensitivity of magnetic resonance imaging has opened new vistas in the ongoing investigation of multiinfarct dementia and small infarcts in neurologically "noneloquent" regions of the brain. The more complete the referring physician's clinical and neurologic workup, the more able is the neuroradiologist to structure and coordinate the safest, fastest, and most cost-effective plan of neuroimaging to diagnose a patient's neurologic problem.
D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed