Prehospital computed tomography in a rural district for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke.

Background: Early diagnosis and triage of patients with ischemic stroke is essential for rapid reperfusion therapy. The prehospital delay may be substantial and patients from rural districts often arrive at their local hospital too late for disability-preventing thrombolytic therapy due to prolonged transport times.

Methods: Hallingdal District Medical Centre (HDMC) is located in a rural area of Norway and is equipped with a computed tomography (CT) scanner.