Table 1 Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Study type

Comparative observational studies

Case reports

Prospective observational studies

Selected case series

Cohort studies

Literature review

Unselected case series

Conference proceedings

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Participants

Human

Non-human subjects

Adults

Exclusively paediatric patients

Mixed paediatric and adult populations (where paediatric and adult groups are not possible to identify separately)

Patients with acute stroke—ischaemic (including patients with a transient ischaemic attack) or haemorrhagic

Patients with non-stroke conditions, such as sickle cell disease, arteriovenous malformation, traumatic brain injury, and cerebral tumour

Patients with acute spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage

Setting

Any

Procedure

Transcranial ultrasonography (grey-scale/Doppler/colour-coded sonography) with/without contrast (microbubble) enhancement if the outcomes are reported separately

Transcranial ultrasonography (grey-scale/Doppler/colour-coded sonography) with contrast (microbubble) enhancement as sole ultrasound method, or if the outcomes are not reported separately

A reference standard diagnostic tool, such as conventional imaging (CT, MRI), cerebral angiography (computed tomography angiography, magnetic resonance angiography, digital subtraction angiography)

No reference test employed

Maximal time interval between the onset of symptoms and index and reference tests: 72 h

Unknown or more than 72 h’ time interval between the symptoms onset and index and/or reference tests

Maximal time interval between the index and reference tests: 24 h

Unknown or more than 24 h’ time interval between the index and reference tests

Aims/outcomes

Detection of signs of acute cerebral ischaemia, acute intracranial haemorrhage, midline shift in space-occupying stroke as measured by both transcranial ultrasonography as index test and reference test

Detection of signs of vasospasm following subarachnoid haemorrhage