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    Patent Pending

    Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS)

    Determines MCA stroke severity using available CT data.

    INSTRUCTIONS

    To compute the ASPECTS, 1 point is subtracted from 10 for any evidence of early ischemic change for each of the defined regions.
    When to Use
    Pearls/Pitfalls
    Why Use

    Patients presenting in the first minutes and hours of a stroke with clinical suspicion for middle cerebral artery occlusion.

    • Quantifies CT changes in early middle cerebral artery stroke. More early changes seen on CT suggest poorer outcome from stroke.
    • Patients with scores ≥8 have a better chance for an independent outcome.

    Points to keep in mind:

    • The score does not consistently predict treatment response or intracranial hemorrhage or offer nuanced prognostic information.
    • ASPECTS has mainly been studied in patients treated with or eligible for stroke reperfusion therapy (tPA), which many stroke patients do not qualify for.

    Identifying patients with a greater likelihood of poor functional outcome (scores <8) may be helpful in the early stages of care for supporting transfer or therapy decisions.

    Subcortical Structures
    No
    0
    Yes
    -1
    No
    0
    Yes
    -1
    No
    0
    Yes
    -1
    MCA Cortex
    No
    0
    Yes
    -1
    No
    0
    Yes
    -1
    No
    0
    Yes
    -1
    No
    0
    Yes
    -1
    No
    0
    Yes
    -1
    No
    0
    Yes
    -1
    No
    0
    Yes
    -1

    Result:

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    Next Steps
    Evidence
    Creator Insights
    Dr. Phillip A. Barber

    About the Creator

    Phillip A. Barber, MD, FRCPC, is an associate professor of neurology at the University of Calgary and is also the co-director of the Stroke Prevention Clinic. He has been awarded the New Investigator Award by the CIHR, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, and the Alberta Heritage Foundation of Medical Research. Dr. Barber's primary research revolves around dementia, infarct maturation and stroke.

    To view Dr. Phillip A. Barber's publications, visit PubMed

    Are you Dr. Phillip A. Barber? Send us a message to review your photo and bio, and find out how to submit Creator Insights!
    MDCalc loves calculator creators – researchers who, through intelligent and often complex methods, discover tools that describe scientific facts that can then be applied in practice. These are real scientific discoveries about the nature of the human body, which can be invaluable to physicians taking care of patients.
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