CT Clock - Feasibility Study

Ischaemic stroke is a devastating disease with high rates of death and disability affecting around 100,000 people annually in the UK. Effective treatments are only offered when the time of stroke onset is known and within specific limits. For the 20% where onset time is unknown or delayed, advanced imaging methods can identify people for safe and effective treatment. However, this advanced imaging is not always available. We have developed a method for identifying patients who can still be treated even without advanced imaging. The CT Clock uses only the non-enhanced CT brain scan that most patients with stroke receive upon arrival at hospital, to determine whether patients are eligible for treatment. This project provides the first prospective clinical testing of the CT Clock in a single-centre (Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, RIE) feasibility analysis. Between October 2023 and October 2024, we recruited 35 patients presenting to RIE with ischaemic stroke. We invited treating clinicians to apply our CT Clock method in real time, but we did not alter routine care pathways or otherwise involve patients. Participating clinicians including stroke physicians and radiologists provided 130 CT Clock assessments for the 35 recruited patients in their care. This dataset includes all non-imaging data collected during the study and includes: anonymised patient demographics, baseline clinical data, date-time of stroke onset and CT, details of participating clinician, clinician's assessment of CT, clinician's experience of using the CT Clock method, expert assessment of CT at 14-day follow-up, final diagnosis.