The aim of the study is to evaluate the reliability of the diffusion-weighted vs. FLAIR MR imaging in the cases of hyper acute brain stroke.
Material and methods: CT and MR standard and diffusion images observed in 29 patients affected with early brain stroke and reference CT in all the patients. Reference CT was performed 3-5 days later in all patients.
Results: The pre- and post-contrast CT in 23 patients did not reveal any brain lesions. In contrary to CT areas of pathologic high signal were visualized well in diffusion MR in 20 of these patients, which supported early diagnosis. Discrete hiperintense lesions of the same locations were seen also in the FLAIR MR imaging in 19 of them. In the 6 patients CT revealed only discrete hipodense areas, which were seen more pronounced in the FLAIR and diffusion MR imaging. In the 3 cases even the second CT did not reveal stroke.
Conclusions: The diffusion MR imaging in patients suspected of acute brain stroke reveals ischemic lesions earlier and more clearly than FLAIR imaging, which discrete presented the same pathological areas.