J Korean Radiol Soc.  1999 Nov;41(5):855-860. 10.3348/jkrs.1999.41.5.855.

Usefulness of 2D PC MRA of the Circle of Willis in the Evaluation of Acute Cere b ral Infarction

• Kwon OH
• Lee JH
• Kim KJ
• Lee SY
• Choi KH

• KMID: 2117357
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3348/jkrs.1999.41.5.855

Abstract

PURPOSE: To evaluate the usefulness of axial 2-D PC MRA of the circle of Willis in the evaluation of acute cerebral infarction.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We evaluated 42 patients with acute cerebral infarction who had undergone T2 weighted and diffusion weighted MR imaging (T2WI, DWI) and 2-D PC MRA of the circle of Willis within 72 hours of the onset of symptoms. In conjunction with high-signal lesions on DWI, the findings of 2-D PC MRA were classified as normal, stenotic, or indicative of arterial occlusion; negative 2-D PC MRA was not considered useful. In addition, the signal intensity of T2WI and DWI was compared.
RESULTS
(The findings of 2-D PC MRA showed that 15 cases (35.7%) were normal, 13(31%) were stenotic, and that in 14 (33.3 %), occlusion was present). Thus, 2-D PC MRA detected vascular abnormality in 27 cases (64.3 %). On T2WI, six cases (14.3 %) showed no signal change and 36 (85.7 %) showed high signal change. In six cases without signal change, MR images were obtained within 12 hours of ictus; in one of these patients MRA findings were normal, one had stenosis, and in four, occlusion was noted.
CONCLUSION
2-D PC MRA is a useful modality for the detection of vascular abnormality in patients with acute cerebral infarct.

Keyword

Brain, infarction; Brain, MR; Magnetic resonance(MR), vascular studies

MeSH Terms

Cerebral Infarction
Circle of Willis*
Constriction, Pathologic
Diffusion
Humans
Infarction*
Magnetic Resonance Imaging