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(Stroke. 2004;35:70.)
© 2004 American Heart Association, Inc.

Original Contributions

Editorial Comment—Cerebral Near-Infrared Spectroscopy: How Far Away From a Routine Diagnostic Tool?

Arno Villringer, MD, Guest Editor; Jens Steinbrink, MD, Guest Editor Hellmuth Obrig, MD, Guest Editor

Berlin NeuroImaging Center (BNIC) and Department of Neurology, Charité, Humboldt-University, Berlin, Germany

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

Pathophysiological events in cerebrovascular disorders are heterogeneous, eg, the consequences of a carotid stenosis on cerebral circulation can differ considerably between patients and also the cerebral consequences of acute stroke are extremely heterogeneous, not only between different patients but also within one patient over time. Thus, there may not be the one optimal therapy for all patients, but rather the ideal therapeutic option should be tailored to the individual pathophysiological situation. Based on these considerations, a variety of methods have been developed to identify pathophysiological situations relevant for therapeutic decisions. One key issue when describing cerebral pathophysiology in the context of vascular disorders is the interplay between blood flow and oxygen consumption, and the most authoritative findings are still based on positron-emission tomography (PET) measurements. Cost, lack of general availability, poor temporal resolution, which prohibits any monitoring approach, and the exposure to radiation have motivated the search for alternatives. Beside MRI-based methods, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a potential alternative allowing for an assessment of cerebral blood flow (CBF) and hemoglobin (Hb) oxygenation parameters of the human cerebral cortex noninvasively through skin and skull. NIRS has been termed a "promising method" for more than a quarter of a century now.¹ The principle of a NIRS tool is based on a modified Beer-Lambert Law and is by far simpler than that of functional MRI or PET. Costs are low, commercial monitors are available at an expense of a head coil for an MRI scanner, and broader distribution may lower the costs even . . . [Full Text of this Article]

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. R. Hargroves, R. C. Tallis, V. M. Pomeroy, A. Bhalla, H. Obrig, J. Steinbrink, and A. Villringer Near-Infrared Spectroscopy in Stroke: From Research to Clinical Practice Stroke, November 1, 2004; 35(11): 2430 - 2431. [Full Text] [PDF]