Noncontrast CT in Acute Stroke

Noncontrast head CT has an important role in the work-up of acute stroke by excluding intracranial hemorrhage and by directly visualizing the parenchymal changes of early infarct. However, noncontrast CT has limited sensitivity and moderate interobserver variability in detecting early infarcts. This article reviews the noncontrast CT appearance and clinical significance of parenchymal changes in early infarct and discusses techniques to optimize their detection.