2011 Volume 33 Issue 5 Pages 473-479
Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) allows determination of the extent of cerebral ischemia and the distribution of tissue damage from the hyperacute stage and is widely used to diagnose and plan treatment for acute stroke. Although diffusion-perfusion mismatch (DPM) has garnered attention as a method for determining the indications for thrombolytic therapy in acute stroke patients, time is required to evaluate blood flow using perfusion imaging, and only relatively few facilities are currently able to use this method. In recent years, clinical-DWI mismatch (CDM), representing a combination of clinical severity and DWI findings, and magnetic resonance angiography-DWI mismatch (MDM), as a combination of the presence or absence of major arterial lesions and DWI findings, have been investigated as alternatives to DPM for determining the indications for thrombolytic therapy in acute stroke patients. We reviewed the utility of MRI-DWI in acute stroke patients, with a focus on DPM and MDM.
