Diagnosis of stroke on neuroimaging

Editor - Wardlaw and Farrall are to be congratulated on their
important reminder that appropriate and timely neuroimaging can save lives
and improve outcomes in patients with strokes. Undoubtedly earlier
diagnosis is essential if the full benefits of early intervention are to
be realized. For those of us who remember the dark days when patients
with strokes were "written off" the new diagnostic technology and the
current innovative therapies herald an exciting era in the management of
stroke patients.

Of course the other side of the coin is that physicians and the
general public need to be aware of the early signs and symptoms of stroke.
This is particularly important in the case of previously healthy young
women who are on oral contraceptives. Some of these preparations have
been associated with arterial thromboembolism, cerebral thrombosis and
cerebral hemorrhage. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment will
certainly help to minimize the impact of such life-threatening
complications, particularly when relatively young individuals are
involved.

Competing interests:
None declared