High resolution vessel wall MR imaging in prestenotic intracranial atherosclerotic disease

We present a case of intracranial hemorrhage presumably due to intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD) identified by VWI and silent on lumen-based imaging modalities. A 66-year-old female presented with sudden onset headache and dysarthria. A head CT showed intracranial hemorrhage centered in the right basal ganglia. Further imaging by CT angiography, MR angiography and a conventional catheter angiogram were negative. MRI of the brain, including VWI, showed abnormal enhancement in the right middle cerebral artery vessel wall, suggesting intracranial atherosclerotic changes in a prestenotic vessel. As a potential noninvasive screening test, VWI could impact patients with ICAD and become part of a stroke risk stratification algorithm.
Source: Journal of Clinical Neuroscience - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research