title: Modern emergent stroke imaging: pearls, protocols, and pitfalls.
abstract: Stroke remains one of the most important clinical diagnoses for which patients are referred to the radiologist for emergent imaging. Timely and accurate imaging guides admission from the emergency department or transfer to a hospital with a dedicated stroke service, triage to the intensive care unit, anticoagulation, thrombolysis, and many other forms of treatment and management. It is important to approach each patient's imaging needs logically and tailor each work-up, and constantly to review the entire process for potential improvements. Time saved in getting an accurate diagnosis of stroke may indeed decrease morbidity and mortality. This article discusses the current management of stroke imaging and reviews the relevant literature.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuroradiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA. Mark.Mullins@emoryhealthcare.org
authors.forename: Mark E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Mullins
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000368:Aged; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D003287:Contrast Media; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004630:Emergencies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014218:Triage
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants; D003287:Contrast Media