What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Review. Population: Stroke. Intervention: Multimodality ultrasound imaging.

October 27, 2016

Multimodality ultrasound imaging in stroke: current concepts and future focus

Key Result

Multimodal ultrasound imaging serves as a non-invasive, low-cost, and real-time technology for stroke risk assessment, prevention, and management.

Structured PICO

What are the current concepts and future applications of multimodality ultrasound imaging in stroke prevention and management?

Population

Patients at risk for or with stroke, including those with sickle cell disease

Intervention

Multimodal ultrasound imaging (including conventional ultrasonography, gray scale median, 3-dimensional ultrasound, elastography, intravascular ultrasound, and contrast-enhanced ultrasound)

Outcome

Stroke risk assessment and management (checking carotid intima-media thickness progression, evaluating plaque morphology, calibrating stenosis degree, detecting patent foramen ovale, monitoring microembolization, screening for stroke risk in sickle cell disease)

Multimodal ultrasound imaging offers a non-invasive, real-time approach for comprehensive stroke risk assessment, though future technological improvements are needed.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Stroke is a leading cause of disability and mortality worldwide. Ultrasound is a real-time imaging technique that is inexpensive, portable, non-invasive, and safe, with high diagnostic accuracy. Ultrasonic imaging can provide useful direct and indirect information about the characteristics of various vessels in the both intracranial and extracranial segments. Areas covered: In this review, we will discuss multimodal applications of ultrasonic imaging in stroke prevention and management including checking carotid intima-media thickness progression, evaluating the plaque morphology, calibrating the degree of stenosis, detecting the presence of patent foramen ovale, monitoring microembolization, and screening for stroke risk in patients with sickle cell disease. We present the conventional ultrasonography as well as the novel ultrasound techniques including gray scale median, 3-dementional ultrasound, elastography, intravascular ultrasound, and contrast-enhanced ultrasound. Expert commentary: Ultrasonography is a non-invasive, low-cost, safe, fast, and real-time imaging technology for stroke risk assessment. Each modality has its own advantage as well as limitation. Future research should be focused on developing new technologies that can improve the quality of imaging and accuracy of diagnosis.

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