ABSTRACT
This chapter describes practical advice for the hospital assessment of stroke patients, both on admission and during their hospital stay. It provides clinical evaluation at the bedside, basic laboratory investigations, and non-invasive brain and vascular imaging. Stroke assessment can be subdivided into pre-hospital and hospital assessment. A number of assessment tools have been developed in order to aid the prompt and accurate identification of stroke in the community and in primary care. Stroke diagnosis is the composite of accurate clinical history and physical assessment, the cornerstone of which is the neurological examination. The onset of stroke is sudden and the time of onset is the aspect in the clinical history that should be identified, whether from the patient or observers. Stroke is a medical disorder and a general medical exam is imperative. This may reveal medical causes or even complications of stroke or might uncover a stroke mimic.
