Neuroradiology
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Magnetic resonance imaging is increasingly used in stroke trials for early diagnosis and follow-up of lesion size. Since volumetric measurement remains a laborious and time-consuming task, a rapid and reliable method for the assessment of lesion size has been developed and validated in diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequences. These were serially obtained in 40 patients less than 8 h after the onset of symptoms of a middle cerebral artery territory stroke (day 1), as well as on days 3 and 18. ⋯ Lesion volumes as determined by both methods were highly correlated (DWI: r = 0.966, FLAIR: r = 0.979, p < 0.001). To conclude, the APM is simple, rapid and reliable for the estimation of lesion size in acute ischemic stroke. It can be recommended for broader application in clinical trials.