Effectiveness of CT Computed Tomography Perfusion in Diagnostics of Acute Ischemic Stroke.

BACKGROUND Stroke is the third most common death reason after the cardiovascular disorders and cancer. Cerebral ischemia is a pathology that stems from a decrease in cerebral perfusion. Computed Tomography Perfusion (CTP) is an additional method to the conventional Computed Tomography (CT) that could be performed by using developed softwares, in a short period of time and with a low risk of complications. CTP not only allows early detection of cerebral ischemia but also gives valuable information on the ischemic penumbra which are very important in early diagnosis and treatment. Acute Ischemic Stroke (AIS) can be cured by trombolytic treapy within 3-6 hours after symptom onset. Since rapid screening and accurate diagnosis increase the success of the treatment, the role of neuroradiology in acute ischemia diagnostics and treatment has become more important. Our aim was to define CT skills in early diagnosis of AIS, to define its contribution to patient's diagnosis and treatment and to define its importance regarding patient's prognosis. MATERIAL/METHODS We included 42 patients that presented to the emergency service and neurology outpatient clinic with the symptoms of acute cerebral incidence. RESULTS In our study, we found that Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF) is 90.91% sensitive and 100% specific in examining ischemia. CONCLUSIONS Tissue hemodynamic data, especially sensitivity and specificity rates, which cannot be acquired by conventional CT and MRI methods, can be acquired by the CTP method.