title: Imaging in acute brain infarction.
abstract: Imaging in a patient suspected of having suffered an acute stroke is used primarily to clear the patient for thrombolytic therapy, by excluding intracranial hemorrhage and nonstroke causes of the patient's symptoms, within a critical 3-hour window. Noncontrast CT of the brain is the imaging test of choice for the initial evaluation of a patient with suspected acute ischemic stroke. It is rapid and readily available and has a high sensitivity for intracranial hemorrhage. Contrast-enhanced CT angiography and perfusion imaging may provide additional information with only a minimal increase in scanning time. Finally, diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance sequences have a high sensitivity for acute stroke and, with magnetic resonance perfusion imaging, may play an increasing role in the future treatment of stroke.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, OH 44195, USA.
authors.forename: Bryson
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Borg
authors.forename: Brian R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Herts
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Masaryk
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020766:Intracranial Embolism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome