title: Added Value of Stroke Protocol MRI Following Negative Initial CT in the Acute Stroke Setting.
abstract: The aim of the study was to determine the added value of stroke protocol MRI following negative initial CT brain in the acute stroke setting. A retrospective study was performed over a 6 month period in a tertiary referral stroke centre. Patients were selected from the stroke and radiology databases. Inclusion criteria: clinical stroke syndrome, negative initial CT with subsequent MRI study with diffusion weighted sequences. Ninety two patients were reviewed and 73 (M:F of 39:34, mean age 62.1 ± 14.0 years) met the inclusion criteria. Twenty MRI studies (27.4%) were positive for acute/subacute ischaemia in the setting of a normal initial CT. The average time interval between initial CT and MRI brain imaging was 4.7 ± 2.6 days. Whilst CT continues to be the first line imaging investigation for acute stroke, MRI has substantial added value following negative initial CT in the diagnosis of stroke.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Gargan
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Kok
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kearney
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Coughlan
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: O'Neill
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Torreggiani
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Doody
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis*; D063128:Tertiary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed