Signal Intensity Changes for the Middle Cerebral Artery on 3-Dimensional Time-of-flight Magnetic Resonance Angiography Indicate Acute Hemodynamic Changes after Carotid Endarterectomy

In this study, we aimed to evaluate whether 3D-TOF-MRA could be used as an alternative to single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) for assessing the increase in the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) after carotid endarterectomy (CEA). To do this, we compared the SI of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) on magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and the rCBF on SPECT.Methods: We enrolled 30 patients with internal carotid artery stenosis. SPECT and MRA were performed before and 3-4 days after CEA. rCBF was assessed using SPECT, and the SI of the MCA was assessed using single-slab 3D-TOF-MRA. Regions of interest were placed in the bilateral middle M1 portions of the MCA on MRA, and their mean SI was measured. The increase ratio of the rCBF on SPECT and the increase ratio of the SI of the MCA on MRA were calculated using the formula: (post-CEA ipsilateral/post-CEA contralateral)/(pre-CEA ipsilateral/pre-CEA contralateral).Results: A significant correlation was observed between the increase ratio of the rCBF on SPECT and the increase ratio of the SI of the MCA on MRA (r = .894, y = .4863 + .5184x, P 
Source: Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research