Is CT Perfusion Ready for Prime Time?
Depends on whom you ask. Technically, CT perfusion (CTP) of the brain is relatively easy to perform on the newest generation of ultrafast CT scanners. Generating meaningful images and data and then interpreting these data in a clinically relevant manner is a more difficult task. Two groups of neuroradiologists seem to have emerged: 1) the CTP cheerleaders, who believe CTP could (or even should) be a part of routine brain imaging, especially in the acute stroke setting, and 2) the CTP cynics, who are still waiting for more proof to be convinced that CTP will change the workup of patients with cerebrovascular disorders. As occurs with most new neuroradiologic techniques, the avalanche of articles championing CTP has officially begun. Most of the early articles discussing and generally advocating this technique have appeared in vendor-supported journals (vendors like new techniques for obvious reasons) or as a part of “advanced imaging of stroke” review articles. (I, too, am not immune fr
