Project description:There are several reports in the literature on the association between non-arteritic retinal artery occlusion (NA-RAO) and acute ischemic stroke. We investigated the burden of small vessel disease (SVD) and cerebral coincident infarction observed on cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with newly diagnosed NA-RAO. In this retrospective, observational, case-series study, consecutive patients with NA-RAO who underwent cerebral MRI within one month of diagnosis between September 2003 and October 2018 were included. The classification of NA-RAO was based on ophthalmologic and systemic examinations. We also investigated the co-incident infarction and burden of underlying SVD, which were categorized as white matter hyperintensity lesion (WMH), cerebral microbleeds (CMB), and silent lacunar infarction (SLI). Among the 272 patients enrolled in the study, 18% presented co-incident infarction and 73% had SVD, which included WMH (70%), CMB (14%), and SLI (30%). Co-incident infarction, WMH, and SLI significantly increased with age: co-incident infarction was observed in 8% of young (< 50 years) patients and 30% of old (≥ 70 years) patients. The embolic etiology of RAO (large artery atherosclerosis, cardioembolism, and undetermined etiology) was significantly associated with the prevalence of SVD (82%: 70%: 64%, P = 0.002) and co-incident infarction (30%: 19%: 8%; P = 0.009). Therefore, high co-incidence of acute cerebral infarction and underlying SVD burden warrant careful neurologic examination and appropriate brain imaging, followed by management of NA-RAO. Urgent brain imaging is particularly pertinent in elderly patients with NA-RAO.
Project description:Background and purposeOcclusion of the AOP results in a characteristic pattern of ischemia: bilateral paramedian thalamus with or without midbrain involvement. Although the classic imaging findings are often recognized, only a few small case series and isolated cases of AOP infarction have been reported. The purpose of this study was to characterize the complete imaging spectrum of AOP infarction on the basis of a large series of cases obtained from multiple institutions.Materials and methodsImaging and clinical data of 37 patients with AOP infarction from 2000 to 2009 were reviewed retrospectively. The primary imaging criterion for inclusion was an abnormal signal intensity on MR imaging and/or hypoattenuation on CT involving distinct arterial zones of the bilateral paramedian thalami with or without rostral midbrain involvement. Patients were excluded if there was a neoplastic, infectious, or inflammatory etiology.ResultsWe identified 4 ischemic patterns of AOP infarction: 1) bilateral paramedian thalamic with midbrain (43%), 2) bilateral paramedian thalamic without midbrain (38%), 3) bilateral paramedian thalamic with anterior thalamus and midbrain (14%), and 4) bilateral paramedian thalamic with anterior thalamus without midbrain (5%). A previously unreported finding (the "V" sign) on FLAIR and DWI sequences was identified in 67% of cases of AOP infarction with midbrain involvement and supports the diagnosis when present.ConclusionsThe 4 distinct patterns of ischemia identified in our large case series, along with the midbrain V sign, should improve recognition of AOP infarction and assist with the neurologic evaluation and management of patients with thalamic strokes.
Project description:The artery of Percheron is a rare anatomic variant of arterial supply to the paramedian thalamus and rostral midbrain, and occlusion of the artery of Percheron results in bilateral paramedian thalamic infarcts with or without midbrain involvement. Acute artery of Percheron infarcts represent 0.1 to 2% of total ischemic stroke. However, of thalamic strokes, occlusion of artery of Percheron is the cause in 4 to 35% of cases. Early diagnosis of artery of Percheron infarction can be challenging because it is infrequent and early computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging may be negative. Thus, it can be confused with other neurological conditions such as tumors and infections.This is a retrospective case study of a 56-year-old white man admitted to Umeå University Hospital and diagnosed with an artery of Percheron infarction. Medical records and the neuroradiological database were reviewed, and the diagnosis was made based on typical symptoms and radiological findings of artery of Percheron infarction. We report the case of a 56-year-old man with a history of overconsumption of alcohol who was found in his home unconscious and hypothermic. He had a Reaction Level Scale-85 score of 4. He developed ventricular fibrillation on arrival at our emergency department, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation successfully restored sinus rhythm within an estimated 2 minutes of onset. He was then put on cardiopulmonary bypass for rewarming. The initial head computed tomography performed on admission was wrongly assessed as unremarkable. Bilateral ischemia in the paramedian thalamic nuclei and pons were first documented on a follow-up computed tomography on day 24 after hospitalization. He died on day 35 after hospitalization.Artery of Percheron infarcts are rare. The radiological diagnosis can initially often be judged as normal and in combination with variability in the neurological symptoms it is a rather difficult condition to diagnose. For these reasons few clinicians have much experience with this type of infarct, which may delay diagnosis and initiation of appropriate treatment.
Project description:IntroductionThe artery of Percheron (AOP) is a rare anatomical variant in which bilateral paramedian thalami are supplied by a single vascular branch arising from the P1 segment of the posterior cerebral artery. We present a case of AOP occlusion presenting as loss of consciousness and summarize the literature in Chinese to find the clinical characteristics.Case reportAn 83-year-old woman was found unconscious for 1 day at home and was sent to the hospital the next day. Cerebral magnetic resonance imaging on day 1 of the patient showed a recent bilateral paramedian thalamic infarction. Simultaneously, magnetic resonance angiography found evident artery stenosis of the right P1 segment of the posterior cerebral artery, suggesting that the patient was diagnosed with AOP occlusion. Since the patient has missed the best time for thrombolytic therapy, anticoagulant therapy was given immediately; as the patient was then found to have pulmonary infections, antibiotic therapy was also initiated. The neurological status of this patient improved very slow. In about 2 weeks, the patient becomes more conscious but still could not speak or move.ConclusionOur report suggests that unusual mood disorder and language disorder of aged patients might indicate the AOP occlusion, and cerebral imaging of magnetic resonance imaging (better with magnetic resonance angiography) should be performed to establish the diagnosis of AOP occlusion. The fast and accurate diagnosis of stroke because of AOP occlusion could best benefit the patients.
Project description:IntroductionRestricted retinal diffusion (RDR) has recently been recognized as a frequent finding on standard diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO). However, data on early DWI signal evolution are missing.Patients and methodsConsecutive CRAO patients with DWI performed within 24 h after onset of visual impairment were included in a bicentric, retrospective cross-sectional study. Two blinded neuroradiologists assessed randomized DWI scans for the presence of retinal ischemia. RDR detection rates, false positive ratings, and interrater agreement were evaluated for predefined time groups.ResultsSixty eight CRAO patients (68.4 ± 16.8 years; 25 female) with 72 DWI scans (76.4% 3 T, 23.6% 1.5 T) were included. Mean time-delay between onset of CRAO and DWI acquisition was 13.4 ± 7.0 h. Overall RDR detection rates ranged from 52.8% to 62.5% with false positive ratings in 4.2%-8.3% of cases. RDR detection rates were higher in DWI performed 12-24 h after onset, when compared with DWI acquired within the first 12 h (79.5%vs 39.3%, p < 0.001). The share of false positive ratings was highest for DWI performed within the first 6 h of symptom onset (up to 14.3%). Interrater reliability was "moderate" for DWI performed within the first 18 h (κ = 0.57-0.58), but improved for DWI acquired between 18 and 24 h (κ = 0.94).ConclusionDWI-based detection of retinal ischemia in early CRAO is likely to be time-dependent with superior diagnostic accuracy for DWI performed 12-24 h after onset of visual impairment.
Project description:Knowledge about anatomical details seems to facilitate the procedure and planning of prostatic artery embolization (PAE) in patients with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPS). The aim of our study was the pre-interventional visualization of the prostatic artery (PA) with MRA and the correlation of iliac elongation and bifurcation angles with technical success of PAE and technical parameters. MRA data of patients with PAE were analysed retrospectively regarding PA visibility, PA type, vessel elongation, and defined angles were correlated with intervention time, fluoroscopy time, dose area product (DAP), cumulative air kerma (CAK), contrast media (CM) dose and technical success of embolization. T-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and Kruskal-Wallis test was applied for statistical analysis. Between April 2018 and March 2021, a total of 78 patients were included. MRA identified the PA origin in 126 of 147 cases (accuracy 86%). Vessel elongation affected time for catheterization of right PA (p = 0.02), fluoroscopy time (p = 0.05), and CM dose (p = 0.02) significantly. Moderate correlation was observed for iliac bifurcation angles with DAP (r = 0.30 left; r = 0.34 right; p = 0.01) and CAK (r = 0.32 left; r = 0.36 right; p = 0.01) on both sides. Comparing the first half and second half of patients, median intervention time (125 vs. 105 min.) and number of iliac CBCT could be reduced (p < 0.001). We conclude that MRA could depict exact pelvic artery configuration, identify PA origin, and might obviate iliac CBCT. Vessel elongation of pelvic arteries increased intervention time and contrast media dose while the PA origin had no significant influence on intervention time and/or technical success.
Project description:BACKGROUND:Coronary magnetic resonance angiography (CMRA) is a promising technique for assessing the coronary arteries. However, a disadvantage of CMRA is the comparatively long acquisition time. Compressed sensing (CS) can considerably reduce the scan time. The aim of this study was to verify the feasibility of CS CMRA scanning during the waiting time between contrast injection and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) scan in a clinical protocol. METHODS:Fifty clinical patients underwent contrast-enhanced CS CMRA and conventional CMRA on a 3 T CMR scanner. After contrast injection, CS CMRA was scanned during the waiting time for LGE CMR. A conventional CMRA scan was performed after LGE CMR. We assessed acquisition times and coronary artery image quality for each segment on a 4-point scale. Visible vessel length, sharpness and diameter of right (RCA), left anterior descending (LAD), and left circumflex (LCX) coronary arteries were also quantitatively compared among the scans. RESULTS:All CS CMRA scans were successfully performed within the LGE waiting time. The median total scan time was 207 s (163, 259 s) for CS and 785 s (698, 975 s) for conventional CMRA (p < 0.001). No significant differences were observed in image quality scores, vessel length measurements, sharpness, and diameter between CS and conventional CMRA. CONCLUSIONS:We could achieve all CS CMRA scans within the LGE waiting time. Contrast-enhanced CS CMRA could considerably shorten the scan time while maintaining image quality compared with conventional CMRA.
Project description:Single-center, cohort study of plaques identified with and without vulnerable features on magnetic resonance angiography with vessel wall imaging. Proteomic analysis of these plaques demonstrates different protein composition. These proteins may be used for early detection and intervention or as pharmacologic targets in patients with higher risk for stroke carotid artery disease.
Project description:The incidence of stroke or transient ischemic attacks (TIA) in atrial fibrillation (AF) catheter ablation procedures is around 1% and may be unnoted under anesthesia. The artery of Percheron (AOP) infarction is a rare kind of stroke with heterogeneity in manifestation, which further makes the perioperative early detection and diagnosis a challenge. Herein, we present one patient who underwent AF ablation and presented mental status alteration after withdrawing anesthetics. An emergency head CT was obtained, which revealed no apparent pathological changes. A late MRI test confirmed the diagnosis of AOP infarction. With oral anticoagulants and rehabilitation therapies, the patient’s awareness improved and fully recovered on the sixth-month follow-up. Variability in manifestation, no positive radiological finding on initial CT, and a low incidence has made few clinicians to gain much experience with this type of infarct, which delays the diagnosis and initiation of appropriate treatment.