Stroke is a leading cause of death and adult morbidity worldwide. By defining stroke symptom onset by the time the patient was last known to be well, many patients whose…

Diffusion-weighted MRI provides image contrast that is dependent on the molecular motion of water. Diffusion-weighted imaging is the most reliable method for early detection of cerebral ischemia, for the definition…

Transient ischemic attack (TIA) can convey a high imminent risk for the development of a major stroke and is therefore considered to be a medical emergency. Recent evidence indicates that…

Multidetector computed tomographic (CT) angiography is rapidly becoming a pivotal examination in the initial evaluation of patients with hemorrhagic stroke. This article provides an update of the literature on this…

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a functional concept to describe unique features of intracranial blood vessels that prevent many substances in the systemic circulation from entering the brain. In the…

With more than 700,000 strokes per year resulting in greater than 160,000 deaths per year, stroke remains the leading cause of disability and third leading cause of death in the…

Since acute stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) are disruptions of brain hemodynamics, perfusion neuroimaging might be of clinical utility. Recently, arterial spin labeling (ASL), a noncontrast perfusion method, has…

After onset of ischemic stroke, potentially viable tissue at risk (ischemic penumbra) may be salvageable. Currently, intravenous alteplase is approved for up to 4.5 hours after symptom onset of acute…

Magnetic resonance (MR) perfusion imaging offers the potential for measuring brain perfusion in acute stroke patients, at a time when treatment decisions based on these measurements may affect outcomes dramatically….

Although acute stroke imaging has made significant progress in the last few years, several improvements and validation steps are needed to make stroke-imaging techniques fully operational and appropriate in daily…