Perfusion CT helps decision making for thrombolysis when there is no clear time of onset.
Current guidelines on thrombolysis post stroke with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) exclude its use where time of onset is unknown, thus denying some patients potentially beneficial treatment. Contrast enhanced perfusion computed tomography (pCT) imaging can be used together with plain CT and information on clinical deficits to decide whether or not thrombolysis should be initiated even though the exact time of stroke onset is unknown. Based on the results of pCT and CT, rt-PA was administered to two patients with unknown time of stroke onset; one of the patients also underwent suction thrombectomy. Results in both cases were excellent.
Department of Stroke Medicine, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
K D
KD
Hellier
J L
JL
Hampton
J V
JV
Guadagno
N P
NP
Higgins
N M
NM
Antoun
D J
DJ
Day
J H
JH
Gillard
E A
EA
Warburton
J-C
JC
Baron
D000368:Aged; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000098:blood supply / Q000187:drug effects; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply*; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D017131:Thrombectomy; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy