[The role of computed tomography perfusion in the diagnosis of brain ischaemic stroke].

Unlabelled: In recent years, the broad introduction of fast multidetector computed tomography (CT) systems and the availability of commercial software for perfusion analysis have made cerebral perfusion imaging with CT a practical technique for the clinical environment.

Aim And Methods: This article reviews the use of CT for imaging cerebral perfusion, highlighting its advantages, disadvantages and limitations, and draws comparisons between perfusion CT and magnetic resonance imaging. The authors performed 96 perfusion CT examinations in the last one and a half years. Future technical developments in multi-slice CT systems may diminish the current limitations of limited spatial coverage and radiation burden. Yet CT is often not perceived as a technique for imaging cerebral perfusion.

Conclusions: The technique is widely available at low cost, accurate and easy to perform. Perfusion CT is particularly applicable to those clinical circumstances where patients already undergo CT for other reasons, including stroke.