Time is of the essence when it comes to stroke treatment

Time is of the essence when it comes to stroke treatment. But a new image guided technique could help shift the criterion from one that is determined by how long after the start of symptoms a patient receives medical care, suggests a small US study published online in the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery.

The researchers used computed tomography perfusion (CTP) to select 53 patients who would be suitable for interventional treatment, and found no difference in the recovery time or the 90 day survival rate between those whose symptoms had begun either less, or more, than six hours earlier.

Their findings lead them to conclude that the technique could enable more stroke patients to be successfully treated, particularly those who live further away from specialist medical care.

"The application of this approach may have a significant impact on the number of patients eligible for beneficial interventional therapy, especially those initially presenting to rural or community hospitals," they conclude.