Penumbra, the basis of neuroimaging in acute stroke treatment: Current evidence
Received 12 June 2009; received in revised form 6 August 2009; accepted 23 September 2009. published online 30 October 2009.
Abstract
In modern medicine brain imaging is an essential prerequisite not only to acute stroke triage but also to determining the specific therapy indicated. This article reviews the need for imaging the brain in acute stroke, penumbral pathophysiology, penumbral imaging techniques, as well as current status of various imaging modalities that are being employed to select patients for specific therapeutic approaches.