ModulePublishedclinician-educationstroke-escalationimaging

Imaging for thrombolysis/thrombectomy decisions — CT/CTA/perfusion and what ‘eligible’ can mean (Advanced)

Advanced course for caregivers: how clinicians use CT to rule out bleed, CTA to find large vessel occlusion, and perfusion/mismatch concepts to decide on clot-busting or thrombectomy in selected cases. Focuses on questions families can ask.

ClinicianCaregiverAdvanced24 minGrade 11

Educational only

Educational only — not medical advice.

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If a patient develops new or worsening stroke symptoms, reduced consciousness, seizure, severe headache, airway/swallowing danger, or unstable vital signs, activate emergency response and follow local stroke escalation protocols.

Key takeaways

  • Explain why CT is first-line in acute stroke pathways
  • Explain why CTA is used to detect large vessel occlusion
  • Explain what perfusion/mismatch aims to estimate (tissue at risk)
  • Prepare caregiver questions about eligibility, timing, and risks

Why this matters

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Clinical frame

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Core clinical idea

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Assessment and workup

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Clinical reasoning pathway

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Management and team actions

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Common pitfalls

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Patient-safe explanation

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Escalation and safety signals

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Applied case

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Clinical scenario

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Common misconceptions

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Reflect

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Key takeaways

  • Understand why CT is first-line in acute stroke pathways
  • Advanced stroke care requires reconciling the clinical syndrome with timing, imaging, medication risk, patient context, and local pathway capacity.
  • A safe plan names escalation thresholds, responsible clinicians, patient-facing instructions, and the next step if results or symptoms change.

Practice check

What you’ll practice

These questions are untimed. After you answer all of them, you’ll see your score and a clear next lesson or reference step.

0 of 4 answered

Question 1

1. A learner is applying this lesson on Imaging for thrombolysis/thrombectomy decisions — CT/CTA/perfusion and what ‘eligible’ can mean. Which approach best reflects advanced clinical reasoning?

Question 2

2. Which actions show safe handling of Imaging for thrombolysis/thrombectomy decisions — CT/CTA/perfusion and what ‘eligible’ can mean? Select all that apply.

Question 3

3. Match each reasoning element to its role in Imaging for thrombolysis/thrombectomy decisions — CT/CTA/perfusion and what ‘eligible’ can mean.

Question 4

4. For Imaging for thrombolysis/thrombectomy decisions — CT/CTA/perfusion and what ‘eligible’ can mean, a normal or non-specific early test result is enough to stop reassessment when the clinical syndrome still suggests risk.

References

  1. Tier 2RadiologyInfo.org2025
    CT Angiography of the Head
  2. Tier 2RadiologyInfo.org2025
    Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) - Head
  3. Tier 1American Heart Association/American Stroke Association2019
    Guidelines for the Early Management of Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke: 2019 Update