Cerebral angiography in ischemic strokes.

Angiography remains a very important means of evaluation of ischemic strokes: it confirms the diagnosis showing the occluded artery. It eventually shows the anastomotic pathways for cerebral circulation and it often finds the causes of stroke, among which the most frequent are atherosclerosis (70%) and fibromuscular hyperplasia (10%). The safer way to perform angiography is the retrograde route. Indications for angiography must be discussed according to the type of stroke, its onset, and the arterial territory involved.