Role of imaging in early diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke: a literature review

Stroke is a serious health condition that is responsible for more than 5% of total deaths. Near 20% of patients experiencing stroke die every year, resulting in the stroke being at the top of the list of preventable causes of death. Once an acute stroke is suspected, a golden hour of less than an hour is available to prevent the undesirable consequences. Since neuroimaging is mandatory in the diagnosis of stroke, the proper use of neuroimaging could help saving time and planning the right treatment for the patient. Some of the available imaging methods help us with rapid results, while others benefit us from a more accurate diagnosis. Hereby, we aim to provide a clinical review of the advantages and disadvantages of different available neuroimaging methods in approaching acute stroke to help clinicians choose the best method according to the settings.