Imaging of cerebral ischemia: from acute stroke to chronic disorders.

Cerebral ischemia manifests widely in patient symptoms. Along with the clinical examination, imaging serves as a powerful tool throughout the course of ischemia-from acute onset to evolution. A thorough understanding of imaging modalities, their strengths and their limitations, is essential for capitalizing on the benefit of this complementary source of information for understanding the mechanism of disease, making therapeutic decisions, and monitoring patient response over time.