Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- 1 The importance of specific diagnosis in stroke patient management
- 2 Limitations of current brain imaging modalities in stroke
- 3 Clinical efficacy of CT in acute cerebral ischemia
- 4 Computerized tomographic-based evaluation of cerebral blood flow
- 5 Technical introduction to MRI
- 6 Clinical use of standard MRI
- 7 MR angiography of the head and neck: basic principles and clinical applications
- 8 Stroke MRI in intracranial hemorrhage
- 9 Using diffusion-perfusion MRI in animal models for drug development
- 10 Localization of stroke syndromes using diffusion-weighted MR imaging (DWI)
- 11 MRI in transient ischemic attacks: clinical utility and insights into pathophysiology
- 12 Perfusion-weighted MRI in stroke
- 13 Perfusion imaging with arterial spin labelling
- 14 Clinical role of echoplanar MRI in stroke
- 15 The ischemic penumbra: the evolution of a concept
- 16 New MR techniques to select patients for thrombolysis in acute stroke
- 17 MRI as a tool in stroke drug development
- 18 Magnetic resonance spectroscopy in stroke
- 19 Functional MRI and stroke
- Index
- Plate Section
1 - The importance of specific diagnosis in stroke patient management
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 August 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- 1 The importance of specific diagnosis in stroke patient management
- 2 Limitations of current brain imaging modalities in stroke
- 3 Clinical efficacy of CT in acute cerebral ischemia
- 4 Computerized tomographic-based evaluation of cerebral blood flow
- 5 Technical introduction to MRI
- 6 Clinical use of standard MRI
- 7 MR angiography of the head and neck: basic principles and clinical applications
- 8 Stroke MRI in intracranial hemorrhage
- 9 Using diffusion-perfusion MRI in animal models for drug development
- 10 Localization of stroke syndromes using diffusion-weighted MR imaging (DWI)
- 11 MRI in transient ischemic attacks: clinical utility and insights into pathophysiology
- 12 Perfusion-weighted MRI in stroke
- 13 Perfusion imaging with arterial spin labelling
- 14 Clinical role of echoplanar MRI in stroke
- 15 The ischemic penumbra: the evolution of a concept
- 16 New MR techniques to select patients for thrombolysis in acute stroke
- 17 MRI as a tool in stroke drug development
- 18 Magnetic resonance spectroscopy in stroke
- 19 Functional MRI and stroke
- Index
- Plate Section
Summary
Introduction: A stroke is not a ‘stroke’
Stroke cannot be considered a diagnosis in itself. Stroke refers to any damage to the brain or spinal cord caused by a vascular abnormality, the term generally being reserved for when symptoms begin abruptly. Stroke is anything but a homogeneous entity, encompassing disorders as different as rupture of a large blood vessel that causes flooding of the subarachnoid space with blood, the occlusion of a tiny artery supplying a small but strategic brain site and thrombosis of a venous conduit obstructing outflow of blood from the brain. Each stroke subtype carries with it different implications for acute treatment, prognosis and secondary prevention. Each stroke patient has additional variables that influence management, including the time from onset to presentation, the severity of the lesion, and associated comorbidities as well as social and psychological factors. The availability of non-invasive imaging techniques has revolutionized the diagnostic process, enabling a much greater understanding of the relevant pathophysiological processes active in the individual patient. This chapter provides an overview of how the specific diagnostic information available from non-invasive investigations can be applied to the management of individual patients.
‘Lumping’ vs. ‘splitting’
The goal of every clinician is to provide the best care for his or her patients.
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- Information
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Stroke , pp. 1 - 14Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2003