What is the best imaging strategy for acute stroke?

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a brief introduction to the main research questions to be covered in the report, to summarise the evidence already available and to outline the sources of information to be used. It is intended to describe the contribution that brain imaging can make to the management of stroke and why there may be controversy about the use of brain imaging in stroke. It is therefore also intended to describe, from the perspective of the physician, radiologist, patient and carer, the important issues that the results of this project could help to resolve.