Bland & Altman plot of the ASPECTS score of the NECT analysis in comparison to the “best contrast” image analysis.

<p>Bland & Altman plot of the ASPECTS score of the NECT analysis in comparison to the “best contrast” image analysis.</p

Schematic illustration of the “best contrast” (BC) post-processing.

<p>The center is defining the attenuation level, at which image information is highlighted. By adjustment of the slope and delta of the attenuation curve, the expression of the post-processing can be modulated.</p

64 year-old male patient with ischemic stroke of the right cerebral hemisphere due to an isolated occlusion of the right internal carotid artery.

<p>While the NECT (A) only give an idea of a slight dedifferentiation of gray and white matter at the insular cortex, the “best contrast” image (B) shows a great delineated infarction (long arrows) with involvement of the internal capsule (short arrow). The diagnosis was confirmed on follow-up CT, which shows that the BC image reflects the infarct size more accurately (C).</p

50-year-old male patient with ischemic stroke of the left hemisphere due to occlusion of the left internal carotid artery (ICA).

<p>The NECT (A) does not show a significant infarct demarcation, whilst the “best contrast” optimized images (B) show a demarcation of the left basal ganglia and the insular cortex (arrows), which was confirmed by follow-up CT (C).</p