Stroke Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Stroke, including details on treatment, recovery, rehabilitation, signs, symptoms.

Perfusion CT helps decision making for thrombolysis when there is no clear time of onset.

Hellier KD, Hampton JL, Guadagno JV, Higgins NP, Antoun NM, Day DJ, Gillard JH, Warburton EA, Baron JC

Department of Stroke Medicine, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.

Current guidelines on thrombolysis post stroke with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) exclude its use where time of onset is unknown, thus denying some patients potentially beneficial treatment. Contrast enhanced perfusion computed tomography (pCT) imaging can be used together with plain CT and information on clinical deficits to decide whether or not thrombolysis should be initiated even though the exact time of stroke onset is unknown. Based on the results of pCT and CT, rt-PA was administered to two patients with unknown time of stroke onset; one of the patients also underwent suction thrombectomy. Results in both cases were excellent.

Published 17 February 2006 in J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry, 77(3): 417-9.
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