What is the diagnostic value of head MRI after negative head CT in ED patients presenting with symptoms atypical of stroke?
According to the study performed by Hammoud et al. (2016), head MRI after negative head CT in ED patients presenting with symptoms atypical of stroke has a limited diagnostic value in determining the presence of stroke. The study found that the sensitivity and specificity of MRI for detecting stroke were low, at 54.3% and 66.7% respectively. Furthermore, MRI was not found to be significantly better than CT for detecting stroke, as the difference in sensitivity and specificity between the two modalities was not statistically significant. Thus, head MRI after negative head CT in ED patients presenting with symptoms atypical of stroke has limited diagnostic value in determining the presence of stroke. 