STANFORD, Calif., Nov. 6 (UPI) -- Magnetic resonance imaging techniques can discriminate between stroke patients who are likely to benefit from a stroke medication, says a U.S. study.
Dr. Greg Albers, director of the Stanford Stroke Center, has been using new MRI techniques to visualize the damage from stroke while it is actually happening.
Albers says his goal is to differentiate brain tissue that is potentially salvageable from tissue that is already irreversibly injured by a stroke. As his group accumulated MRI scans of stroke patients, they noticed patterns that seemed to identify which patients were most likely to benefit from opening up blocked blood vessels.
Standard CT scans can differentiate strokes caused by ruptured blood vessels from ones caused by blocked vessels, but the location and extent of the brain injury is typically not evident for at least eight hours after symptoms begin.
An MRI can immediately demonstrate areas of brain injury, outline areas of critically reduced blood flow and clarify which blood vessel is blocked. These subtleties can determine whether opening the vessel is likely to be beneficial, Albers said.
The findings are published in the November issue of Annals of Neurology.
