Proving Utility of a New Field-cycling MRI Prototype in Acute Stroke Patients

Proving Utility of a New Field-cycling MRI Prototype in Acute Stroke Patients

The goal of this study is to test if a new type of MRI scanner, called Field-Cycling Imaging (FCI), can show changes in the brain within the first day of a stroke due to a blocked blood vessel or bleeding in the brain. The main question it aims to answer is:

• Can FCI identify brain tissue that might recover within the first few hours after a stroke begins?

Participants will undergo a standard MRI scan and an FCI scan, as soon as possible after hospital admission.

Participants who have had a blocked blood vessel will also provide a blood sample and will have a follow up visit at 30 days for repeat of both scans and providing another blood sample.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Acute stroke (<24 hours from symptom onset).
• NIHSS ≥4 and <25 with cortical involvement and/or large vessel occlusion on baseline imaging.
• Able to undergo 3T and FCI MRI <24h of onset.
• With or without thrombolysis.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Contraindications to MRI.
• Medically unstable.
• Unable to comprehend or comply with instructions regarding scanning
• Prior mRS of >3.
• Identified for thrombectomy.
• Non-stroke pathology or previous cortical infarct on CT scan > 1/3 of middle cerebral artery territory.