title: Accuracy of diffusion-weighted imaging in the diagnosis of stroke in patients with suspected cerebral infarct.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The accuracy of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) for the diagnosis of acute cerebral ischemia among patients with suspected ischemic stroke arriving to an emergency room has not been studied in depth.
  
  
  METHODS
  DWI was performed in 712 patients with acute or subacute focal symptoms that suggested an acute ischemic stroke (AIS), 609 of them with AIS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  DWI demonstrated a sensitivity of 90% and specificity of 97%, a positive likelihood ratio of 31 and a negative likelihood ratio of 0.1 for detecting AIS. The overall accuracy was 95%. Of those patients who demonstrated abnormal DWI studies, 99.5% were AIS patients, and of those patients with normal DWI studies 63% were stroke mimics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  DWI is accurate in detecting AIS in unselected patients with suspected AIS; a negative study should alert for nonischemic conditions.
authors: Neurosonology Laboratory, Cerebrovascular Program, Neurology Service, Department of Internal Medicine, Clínica Alemana de Santiago, Facultad de Medicina Clínica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Vitacura, Santiago, Chile. abrunser2002@yahoo.com
authors: Alejandro M
authors: AM
authors: Brunser
authors: Arnold
authors: A
authors: Hoppe
authors: Sergio
authors: S
authors: Illanes
authors: Violeta
authors: V
authors: Díaz
authors: Paula
authors: P
authors: Muñoz
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Cárcamo
authors: Verónica
authors: V
authors: Olavarria
authors: Marcela
authors: M
authors: Valenzuela
authors: Pablo
authors: P
authors: Lavados
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000792:Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D001158:Arteries / Q000473:pathology; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000175:diagnosis; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D015588:Observer Variation; D015424:Reperfusion; D015427:Reperfusion Injury; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome