Obligatory medical device diagnostics.
- Computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging of the skull* (cranial CT or.cCT/cranial MRI or cMRI) – for basic diagnosis.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG; recording of the electrical activities of the heart muscle) – as a basic diagnostic to exclude cardiac arrhythmias.
- Doppler/duplex sonography (ultrasound examination: combination of a sonographic cross-sectional image (B-scan) and the Doppler sonography method; imaging method in medicine that can dynamically represent fluid flows (especially blood flow)) of the carotids (carotid arteries) – to assess the vessel wall conditions.
* Which of the procedures is used depends on whether MRI is available and how quickly. Generally, MRI is superior to CT in the area of imaging infarct changes.
Optional medical device diagnostics-depending on the results of the history, physical examination, laboratory diagnostics, and obligatory medical device diagnostics-for differential diagnosis.
- CT/MR angiography or digital subtraction angiography (DSA; procedure for isolated imaging of vessels) – if underlying vascular anomalies are suspected.
- Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) or transesophageal echocardiography (TEE; ultrasound examination of the heart by means of an ultrasound probe inserted into the esophagus) – in cases of cardiac arrhythmias with suspicion of cardiac thrombi (blood clots in one of the inner chambers of the heart)
- Long-term ECG (ECG applied over 24 hours) – to exclude cardiac arrhythmias.
See also under “Apoplexy/medical device diagnostics” if applicable.
