MR Imaging for Acute Stroke

Abstract

Cerebral imaging is essential to differentiate the pathologies behind acute stroke. Excluding hemorrhage with a native CT is a prerequisite before thrombolytic drugs can be administered. With stroke MRI, vessel occlusion, ischemia and infarction can be visualized. This detailed diagnostic information can facilitate the decision for or against thrombolysis. Analysis of FLAIR and diffusion-weighted images enables the identification of patients in an early time window after ictus and is currently used in randomized trials of wake-up stroke.