Abstract.
Objective:
To analyse the topography of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) visualized by T2*-weighted gradient-echo MR imaging in the supratentorial brain area, based on the anatomical classification of the regions and the arterial territories.
Background:
CMBs are associated with hypertension and the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage; however, little is known about the cerebral topography of CMBs.
Methods:
We examined 164 consecutive patients with hypertensive stroke who underwent T2*-weighted gradient-echo MRI. The anatomical locations and the vascular territories of the CMBs were determined in the subcortical white matter, basal ganglia/internal capsule and thalamus along the standard axial slices.
Results:
We detected 2,193 CMBs in 98 patients (13.4±39.0 per patient). The CMBs showed a significant predilection for the temporo-occipital area of the subcortical white matter, the posterolateral part of the upper putamen, and the lateral nuclei of the mid-level thalamus. The most common arterial territories were those of the middle-posterior cerebral artery in the white matter, the middle cerebral artery in the basal ganglia, and the thalamogeniculate artery in the thalamus.
Conclusions:
These findings were quite similar to the cerebral topography of intracerebral hemorrhage described in the literature. Our results suggest that CMBs are regionally associated with intracerebral hemorrhage.
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Abbreviations
- GRE:
-
T2*-weighted gradient-echo
- CMBs:
-
Cerebral microbleeds
- ICH:
-
Intracerebral hemorrhage
- MRI:
-
Magnetic resonance imaging
- CAA:
-
Cerebral amyloid angiopathy
- ACA:
-
Anterior cerebral artery
- MCA:
-
Middle cerebral artery
- PCA:
-
Posterior cerebral artery
- ICA:
-
Internal Carotid artery
- AChA:
-
Anterior choroidal artery
- PoCA:
-
Posterior communicating artery
- TPA:
-
Thalamoperforating artery
- TGA:
-
Thalamogeniculate artery
- PChA:
-
Posterior choroidal artery
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Lee, SH., Kwon, SJ., Kim, K.S. et al. Cerebral microbleeds in patients with hypertensive stroke. J Neurol 251, 1183–1189 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-004-0500-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-004-0500-6