Toggle navigation 503-561-5200 Stroke What is a stroke? Rehabilitation Prevention DiagnosisSalem Health has several scanners that will help your physician determine what kind of stroke you have had. These painless scans require you to lie still with your head inside the scanner’s large ring. (Let your physician know if you have claustrophobia – a fear of small or confined spaces.) The most common types of brain scans are: CAT or CT (Computer-Aided Tomography or Computed Tomography) MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) Other scanners are used to examine the blood vessels leading to and inside the brain: CTA (Computed Tomography Angiogram) MRA (Magnetic Resonance Angiography) If your stroke was caused by a clot that traveled up from your heart, your doctor will order a series of heart tests and scans to determine to the source of the problem.