ProSPective Evaluation of Non-contrast sINe spiN Flat-dEtectoR CT for the Detection of Intracranial hemorrhageS

Despite concerted efforts, stroke is still one of the leading causes of mortality and disability worldwide.Stroke can be divided into two main types: ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. Endovascular therapy (EVT) became the gold-standard for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke due to large-vessel occlusions (LVO). However, as was shown by a post-hoc meta-analysis of five trials clinical outcome is highly associated with the time from hospital admission to treatment.

One possibility to substantially shorten this time span is the implementation of a One Stop Management approach. In this workflow both imaging and subsequent EVT is done in the angiography suite using non-contrast flat detector CT (FDCT) for the exclusion of an intracranial hemorrhage. Such workflows dramatically reduce intra-hospital time delays (median reductions of more than 30 minutes) and are associated with improved patient outcomes. One of the biggest hurdles for a large-scale implementation of a One Stop Management approach up to now is the ability to differentiate between ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke with FDCT. In a recent study we have reported very high sensitivity and specificity for the detection of intracranial hemorrhage with FDCT.

Recently Siemens Healthineers introduced the new ARTIS icono angiography system with a new non-contrast syngo DynaCT Sine Spin protocol FDCT, which should improve the quality and soft tissue resolution of native cranial FDCT scans especially in the posterior fossa and skull base. Therefore, the study aims to evaluate if non-contrast syngo DynaCT Sine Spin FDCT is non-inferior to non-contrast multidetector CT (MDCT) for the detection of intracranial hemorrhages.

Inclusion criteria

• Informed Consent as documented by signature or fulfilling the criteria for emergency or deferral consent
• Patients with symptoms suggestive of ischemic stroke (NIHSS ≥ 7) or suggestive of haemorrhagic stroke with a cranial non-contrast MDCT and a feasible non-contrast syngo DynaCT Sine Spin within 4 hours
• Patient presenting within 24 hours of last seen well
• Patients presenting directly to the treating hospital (i.e. mothership patients) OR transfer patients with the indication for repeated imaging according to the standard operation procedures of the treating hospital
• Age above 18 years
• Agreement of treating physician to perform non-contrast syngo DynaCT Sine Spin

Exclusion criteria

• Severe metal artifacts on initial MDCT imaging
• Planned invasive interventions between MDCT and FDCT scan
• Clinical deterioration between MDCT and FDCT scan (i.e. an increase of the NIHSS of more than 4 points)
• Evidence of an ongoing pregnancy prior to enrollment. A negative pregnancy test before enrollment is required for all women with child-bearing potential