Chapter 17: Resolving Difficult Case Scenarios by Incorporating Stroke Biomarkers in Clinical Decision-making

Stroke biomarkers open a window of opportunity for clinicians and researchers to apply insights gained from advances in stroke biology to clinical practice. A wider use of stroke biomarkers into the clinical setting can facilitate decision-making during acute management of stroke complications and, through development of risk prediction models, guide improving the long-term outcomes of stroke patients. The focus of this chapter is on elaborating upon clinical scenarios where biomarkers could aid in clinical decision-making to avert and/or manage stroke complications such as hemorrhagic transformation, malignant cerebral infarction and early neurologic deterioration. Furthermore, biomarkers could also serve to improve stroke diagnosis by ruling out its mimics, better understanding stroke mechanisms, identifying high-risk patients for adverse outcomes and identifying those who might benefit from prolonged cardiac monitoring for the detection of atrial fibrillation. Stroke biomarkers could provide an additional investigative tool to assist clinicians who encounter difficult clinical scenarios when managing patients with an ischemic stroke.