New MRI techniques can discriminate between stroke patients who are likely to benefit from a stroke medication -- even when administered beyond the currently approved three-hour time window -- and those for whom treatment is unlikely to be beneficial and may cause harm.
Dr. Greg Albers, director of the Stanford Stroke Center in California, has been using new MRI techniques to visualize the damage from stroke while it is actually happening. His goal is to differentiate brain tissue that is potentially salvageable from tissue that is already irreversibly injured by a stroke.
Albers' research group accumulated MRI scans of stroke patients and noticed patterns that seemed to identify which patients were most likely to benefit from opening up blocked blood vessels.
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 research is published in November issue of Annals of Neurology.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writers
November 2, 2006
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