Tuesday, December 1 | 3:10 p.m.-3:20 p.m. | SSJ18-02 | Room N226
There is still no consensus about the best way to image the posterior circulation in the setting of ischemic stroke, but researchers in Münster, Germany, have found significant value in CT perfusion.Lead researcher Dr. Peter Sporns from Universitätsklinikum Münster plans to report on the high diagnostic value of CT perfusion for detecting posterior circulation stroke, compared with native CT and CT angiography (CTA).
"Our results show a significantly higher detection rate in a large cohort of consecutive patients at our stroke center," he said.
Unlike a couple of smaller prior studies, the study team looked retrospectively at nearly 200 patients with suspected posterior ischemic stroke over three years, adding CT perfusion to noncontrast CT and standard CTA protocols for the detection of ischemia. CT was performed again 19 hours after admission.
A CT perfusion model predicted infarcts in the posterior circulation territory better than other models based on the receiver operator characteristics (ROC) curve -- at 80% for CT perfusion versus 19% for noncontrast CT and 49% for CTA.
CT perfusion detects significantly more ischemic strokes in the posterior circulation than CTA and noncontrast CT alone, the group concluded.
"We therefore recommend implementation of CT perfusion in standard CT protocols," Sporns told AuntMinnie.com.
![Axial images from unenhanced calcium score cardiac CT (left) and curved planar reformation images from CT angiography (right) show that higher long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with greater coronary artery calcium and more obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). Top row: Images in a 68-year-old male patient with higher 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (7.9 μg/m3 for particulate matter measuring ≤2.5 μm in diameter [PM2.5] and 17.4 parts per billion [ppb] for NO2) with extensive CAD (coronary artery calcium score [CACS] >1,000 and obstructive CAD [≥70% diameter stenosis]). Bottom row: Images in a 57-year-old female patient with lower 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (6.3 μg/m3 for PM2.5 and 4.6 ppb for NO2) with no CAD (CACS = 0 and no obstructive stenosis).](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/06/hanneman.r6SMLzkezo.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
