Stroke MRI

MRI in Stroke
For diagnosing ischemic stroke in the emergency setting:

MRI scan
 * sensitivity= 83%
 * specificity= 98%

MRI scan
 * sensitivity= 81%
 * specificity= 100%

For detecting chronic hemorrhages, MRI scan is more sensitive.

For the assessment of stable stroke, nuclear medicine scans SPECT and PET/CT may be helpful. SPECT documents cerebral blood flow and PET with FDG isotope the metabolic activity of the neurons.