Two magnetic resonance imaging techniques, diffusion and perfusion imaging,
are being used increasingly for evaluation of pathophysiology of stroke. T
his article introduces these techniques and reports some initial studies us
ing these approaches, together with conventional T-2-weighted magnetic reso
nance imaging, for investigation of childhood stroke. It is shown that the
combination of T-2-weighted and diffusion images can provide information ab
out the timing of stroke events in childhood, and perfusion imaging can det
ect abnormalities not visible by other magnetic resonance imaging technique
s. These magnetic resonance methods therefore should play an important role
in in investigation of children with stroke and could be of particular val
ue in studies of at-risk populations of children such as those with sickle
cell disease.