title: The significance of routine chest X-ray in acute stroke.
abstract: We retrospectively evaluated the significance of making a chest X-ray in the acute stage of a stroke. Forty percent of the chest X-rays were of suboptimal quality. Abnormal chest X-rays were, in part, the reason for consultation of chest specialists in 5%. A chest X-ray in patients with acute stroke should only be performed if there is clinical suspicion of pulmonary or cardiac pathology, not as a routine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Atrium Medisch Centrum, Heerlen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Colon
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Franke
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Koehler
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D012189:Retrospective Studies