Abstract
Importance of the field: Intracranial atherosclerosis is quickly becoming the most common stroke mechanism worldwide. Accurate diagnosis is important in making treatment decisions.
Areas covered in the review: In this article the clinical and radiographic diagnosis of intracranial atherosclerosis is reviewed. An overview is provided of widely available invasive and non-invasive methods for the detection of intracranial atherosclerosis, including transcranial Doppler, magnetic resonance and computed tomography angiography, as well as conventional angiography.
What the reader will gain: The reader will become familiar with the advantages and limitations of various imaging modalities used in the diagnosis of intracranial atherosclerosis.
Take home message: Non-invasive imaging modalities have a high negative predictive value in detecting intracranial atherosclerosis. The gold standard for confirmation of the diagnosis remains catheter angiography.
Notes
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