CT perfusion (CTP)

Abstract

Acute stroke is a common cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide: it is the third leading cause of death in the United States (responsible for approximately 1 in 15 deaths in 2001) and affects approximately 700,000 individuals within the United States annually [1]. The ability to treat patients in the acute setting with thrombolytics has created a pressing need for improved detection and evaluation of acute stroke, with a premium placed on rapid acquisition and generation of data that are practically useful in the clinical setting. Recanalization methods for acute ischemic stroke remain limited to a restricted time window, since intravenous (IV) and intra-arterial (IA) thrombolysis carry hemorrhagic risk that increases with time-postictus [2-4]. Clinical exam and unenhanced CT, the existing imaging standard for acute stroke, are limited in their ability to identify individuals likely to benefit from successful recanalization [3, 5-11]. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.