MRI + Echocardiography Identifies More Causes of Stroke

Filed in archive Diagnostics, Methodologies and Instrumentation on March 6, 2007

The use of both MRI (amgnetic resonance imaging) and echocardiography to look at the heart significantly enhances the imaging ability to detect the cause and select the best treatment for cardioembolic strokes.

Dubbed as the "meanest" type of stroke, a cardioembolic stroke occurs when a thrombus (clot) dislodges from the heart, travels through the cardiovascular system and lodges in the brain, thereby initially cutting off the blood supply and then often causing a hemorrhagic bleed.

The study found that MRI detected nearly twice as many sources of stroke in the heart than echocardiogram alone. It also showed the ability of MRI to reveal more heart disease conditions that contribute to clot formation in the first place.

Echocardiography, however, was strong in the detection of heart valve lesions. Combined, these imaging systems can more clearly identify underlying causes of future stroke, helping doctors decide the best initial therapy and the best treatment to prevent asecondary stroke.

The findings have been reported at the recent Society of Interventional Radiology's 32nd Annual Scientific Meeting.

Find more details from the full report (a pdf file).