Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate the respective value of 5 MR sequences to distinguish between stroke patients with and without acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Methods: MR images obtained ≤6 h after stroke onset of 86 patients (43 ICH, 43 non-ICH) were reviewed by 3 observers who looked for signs of acute ICH on each image set [T<sub>1</sub> and T<sub>2</sub> gradient echo (GRE), FLAIR, T<sub>2</sub>-EPI and DWI], presented separately. Results: For the identification of ICH, intraobserver and interobserver concordance were at least ĸ = 0.95 for all sequences. Of all interpretations, 7 (0.4%) were erroneous, with sensitivity and specificity of FLAIR, T<sub>2</sub>-EPI and DWI reaching 100%; GRE sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 95–97.5%, respectively; T<sub>1</sub> sensitivity and specificity were 97.3–100% and 97.4–100%, respectively. All 4 patients misclassified on one pulse sequence were correctly classified on all the other sequences. Conclusion: In the setting of acute stroke, each of the 5 studied sequences enables ICH and non-ICH patients to be distinguished with high sensitivity and specificity.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
