Focus on Stroke: Determining the Outcome/prognosis through Experimental Work. Ismrm 08 Syllabus Contribution

Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability in developed countries globally. Ischemic stroke is the most prevalent type, and occurs when a blood vessel that supplies the brain becomes blocked with an embolic or thrombotic blood clot. There is only one approved treatment for ischemic stroke patients, thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA). The therapeutic window for rtPA is only three hours after symptom onset; this highlights the importance of investigating the potential of acute neuroimaging strategies to improve diagnosis and outcome prediction. In addition to being the preferred modality for preclinical stroke imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers improved soft tissue contrast, when compared to computed tomography (CT), as well the potential to be completely noninvasive.