Imaging of Ischemic Stroke

Question 1

what are the goals of neuroimaging in suspected ischemic stroke

Answer 1

1. is there bleeding - CT or MRI
2. exclude mimics (cancer) - CT or MRI
3. detect early signs of infarction - DWI (can also see on MRI or CT using ASPECTS)
4. detect ischemic core vs penumbra mismatch (DWI and perfusion mismatch)
5. status of large cervical intracranial arteries (CTA and MRA)

Question 2

What is CTA looking for

Answer 2

Large vessel occlusions that could benefit from mechanical thrombectomy